Information for people new to Manchester
Household Services

This section covers gas, electricity, water, telephones and council tax. If you live in NASS accommodation, most household services will be provided by your landlord, and the landlord is responsible if something breaks down. If you are renting your own (private) accommodation, you will have to make your own arrangements, though your landlord should still be responsible for repairs to and maintenance of gas, electricity and water appliances. 
Whether you are renting privately or are staying in NASS accommodation, make sure that the person who shows the property to you when you move in tells you where the gas, electricity and water supply connections are, so that you can switch them off quickly in case of an emergency. 

Gas

  Getting Gas Connected

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If you move into rented accommodation which has a gas supply, you will need to contact the gas supply company and give them your name for future bills. In Manchester, gas is supplied by either British Gas or Powergen: your landlord will be able to tell you which company supplies your property.

Make sure that you and the landlord read the gas meter when you first move in and make a note of the numbers on it, as this will be used to charge you for all future gas use and you will need to check that number on your first bill to ensure that you are not being charged for gas used by a previous tenant.

A Gas Leak Emergency

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If you smell gas at home:

l        Find the main gas tap and turn it off.

l        Phone Transco, the gas emergency service on 0800 111 999.

l        Don't light any flames and put out cigarettes.

l        Don't switch electrical appliances or lights off or on.

l        Open windows and doors.

l        Check whether the gas has been left unlit or the pilot light on the boiler has gone out.

Electricity

  Getting Electricity Connected

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As with the gas supply, you will need to contact the electricity supply company and give them your name for future bills if you move into rented accommodation. Powergen and British Gas are also the main suppliers of electricity in Manchester: the landlord will be able to tell you who your supplier is. Again, be sure to make a note of the numbers on the electricity meter when you first move in so that you can check this against your first bill.

  What To Do About An Electricity Problem

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If you think there is a problem with your electricity supply:

l        Turn off the main electricity switch.

l        Phone your electricity supplier.

l        Contact your landlord or housing association.

Heating Your Home

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Most houses in Manchester have central heating using gas or electricity, which gives hot water and warmth through radiators in the rooms, though in some accommodation the heating may be through gas or electric fires, with water being heated by gas or electric boilers. If you are renting private accommodation, check whether you have to pay the heating bills yourself or if they are included in the rent. Central heating can be expensive, and so can electric heaters, so take care to control how much you use it to keep the cost down.

Appliance testing

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It is your landlord's responsibility to make sure that the gas and electrical appliances in your home are safe. They should be tested every year. Each appliance should have a label showing the date of the last test. If you think the appliance needs to be tested again, or the appliance seems not to be working correctly, contact your landlord or accommodation provider. This includes water and heating boilers, gas and electric fires, ovens etc.

Water Supply

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Household water in Manchester is supplied by United Utilities. Some houses and flats have water meters so you pay for how much water you use. Others get bills based on the size of the house or flat. The cost is sometimes included in the rent, so check this with your landlord before paying any bills.

Telephones

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Many houses already have a telephone line fitted. When people move out they have the telephone disconnected, it you can get it reconnected free of charge when you open an account with the telephone company. If there is not a telephone line in your home already you will have to pay about £100 to have one put in. Find out which telephone companies serve your area and dial 118 499 for their numbers.

British Telecom (BT) is the largest telephone operator in Manchester. BT own most of the telephone lines and you have to pay them a fee for rental of the telephone line. You can also rent telephones from them, but it is much cheaper to buy your own from somewhere like Argos.

There are many companies providing telephone services and you can choose which ever one you want. You need to check the prices carefully (especially if you want to make overseas calls) as they vary a lot. Another possibility for making cheap overseas calls is to use pre-paid phone cards which can be bought at many newsagents: see the section on information services for more details.

If you cannot get a telephone account at home you can use a mobile phone, though you need to check the charges carefully as this can be very expensive. (the keeping in touch section)

Using a television

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In the UK you must buy a licence if you have a television (TV) in your home. See the section on Information Services for information on getting a TV licence.

Council Tax

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If you rent private accommodation, you will be charged Council Tax. This is a local tax charged by Manchester City Council which covers services like the emergency services, street cleaning, rubbish collection and local policing.

The amount of council tax you have to pay is based on the value of your house or flat, and not on the income of the people living in it. However, if you, or a member of your household, are unemployed, a full-time student or are on a low income, or if you are the only person living in the property, you may be able to pay less than the full cost.

Contact the Council Tax Unit for information about applying for a reduction. Alternatively you can get help and information from Manchester City Council Advice Centre or the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Home Security

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You may wish to give yourself added security in your home by putting extra locks and chains on the main doors and locks on the windows. Make sure you close every window, including those upstairs, when you go out of the house for any length of time, and if you go out at night, leave one or two lights switched on.

If you are renting private accommodation, you can insure your belongings so that in the event of a burglary or an accident, you can claim money back from the insurance company. This kind of insurance is called "house contents" insurance. The cost varies, depending on which insurance company you choose, how much you have in your home and which area you live in. You can find a list of insurance companies in the Yellow Pages telephone directory (ask at the library if you don't have the Yellow Pages at home).

It is best to ask anyone who calls at your house to show you some kind of identity card before you let them inside. Genuine callers (health visitors, electricity men, social services staff etc.) will always carry identity cards and will not mind if you call the company they are from to check that they have been sent to visit you.

If you are at all suspicious about a person who has knocked at your door, or they do not have an identity card, do not let them inside, but ask them to make another appointment to visit you. If you are expecting a visit from a person you have never met before, you could always ask a friend or neighbour to be in the house with you at the time of the visit.

Furniture

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Buying furniture can be quite expensive. If you are renting an unfurnished house or flat, or if you need a few extra pieces of furniture, you can buy second-hand furniture and household items cheaply from the Mustard Tree or the Wesley Furniture Project who provide good value "starter packs" of refurbished furniture and "white goods" (cookers, fridges etc) for a really good price.

Wood Street Mission provides clothing, bedding, baby equipment and toys. If you would like help with some of these items, you will need to contact an organisation such as the British Red Cross who will write to Wood Street Mission on your behalf. A parcel will then be prepared with the items you have requested and you will need to go and collect it from the mission.

There is also a good number of private second-hand shops selling cheap furniture in Manchester: again, check the Yellow Pages for a list of these. Charity shops such as Red Cross and Oxfam often have items like bedding and curtains. See the section on shopping for more suggestions.

Children's safety equipment

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If you have young children at home, you can make your house more safe by adding stair gates, cupboard locks etc. These items are sometimes available free of charge for low income families. Contact your nearest Sure Start or Homestart Project for further details.

Contact details

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