Home & Property Emergencies
123 guides
Browse PanicStation.org guides for stressful situations involving housing, rent, landlords, repairs, utilities, unsafe conditions, access problems, property damage, and urgent home-related disruption.
These guides are designed to help you protect immediate safety, keep a clear record, contact the right person or organisation, avoid unnecessary escalation, and find an appropriate advice or reporting route.
PanicStation.org provides general information only. It is not housing advice, legal advice, financial advice, insurance advice, or emergency help.
a basement or retaining wall is bulging and you fear it may fail a bathroom extractor fan or vent is dripping water and you suspect a leak or condensation a ceiling stain, wet ring, or drip appears and you cannot find the source a chimney pot, cap, or top section looks shifted or loose after high winds a circuit breaker, GFCI, or RCD keeps tripping or will not reset a damp patch or water is spreading along a wall and you cannot find the source a fence, retaining wall, or garden wall starts leaning suddenly and may collapse a flexible supply line under a sink starts spraying or dripping rapidly a floor area suddenly feels soft or springy and you worry it could give way a floor drain cover is lifting or rattling during heavy rain a garage ceiling or roof structure is sagging and you are unsure if it is safe a garage door or automatic gate is stuck open and you cannot secure your home a gas appliance keeps going out and you suspect a leak or unsafe ventilation a home stairlift or elevator stops with someone trapped a key snaps in the lock and you cannot lock or unlock the door a leak from the unit above is damaging your home and the responsible party is not responding a new crack appears in a wall or ceiling and seems to be widening a pipe bursts and water is rapidly flooding your home a power line has fallen onto your property and you are inside a radiator or heating pipe starts leaking water onto the floor a retaining wall develops a fresh horizontal crack and starts seeping water a sink or bathtub backs up and dirty water starts rising a skylight or roof window frame is visibly loose and bad weather is forecast a smoke alarm goes off but you cannot find any smoke or heat a solar inverter or home battery starts smoking or overheating a stair tread, landing, or handrail suddenly feels loose and unsafe to use a sump pump alarm sounds and water is rising in your basement a toilet keeps refilling or overflowing and you cannot stop it a tree falls onto your home or damages the roof a tree or large branch is leaning or hanging over your home after a storm a vehicle crashes into your home and the structure may be unsafe a wasp or hornet nest is forming near a door or window you need to use a window will not close and cold air or rain is coming in a windowpane is badly cracked or broken and may fall or leave the home unsecured an air-conditioning or HVAC unit starts leaking water indoors an appliance makes a loud popping sound and smells like it is burning an aquarium, waterbed, or large container is leaking and causing water damage an extension cord or power strip is hot, soft, melting, or discoloured an exterior wall shows a new bulge or bowing section an external door will not latch, close, or lock and you cannot secure your home an outlet or switch sparks, feels hot, is discoloured, or smells of burning an upstairs floor is bowing or sagging and you suspect water damage bricks, stone, render, or other masonry are loose or falling from a building cooking oil or a pan catches fire in your kitchen floodwater is entering your home and rising quickly interior doors suddenly start sticking and you suspect structural movement or swelling lightning strikes your home and the electrics start behaving strangely lights repeatedly flicker or dim and you suspect a wider electrical fault multiple drains are gurgling and your home smells like sewage overflowing gutters are sending water down or into your walls part of your ceiling collapses without warning part of your ceiling starts sagging after a leak plaster or drywall begins crumbling or falling from your ceiling sewage starts coming up through a floor drain but has not reached living areas yet smoke is coming from inside a wall or ceiling stormwater is pooling against your foundation and rising toward entry points the toilet base is wet and you suspect it is leaking into the floor water is bubbling up from the ground in your garden or driveway water is entering through your roof, skylight, chimney, or attic during rain water is leaking from your shower or bathtub and spreading quickly water is leaking in around a window or door during a storm water is running from an outside pipe and will not stop water pressure drops and you suspect a burst or major hidden pipe leak water starts leaking from your refrigerator or freezer and you cannot find the source you are locked out of your home in urgent weather or at night you are told your home is unsafe to occupy and you must leave immediately you discover a large hole or soft spot in an interior wall that seems to be expanding you feel a tingling sensation when touching a tap or metal appliance you find a large insect swarm indoors and suspect a nest in the building you find a strong sewer smell coming from one specific drain even after running water you find an outdoor tap or hose connection leaking into an interior wall you find standing water in your basement or crawl space after heavy rain you find storm damage to your roof or windows that could worsen you find water collecting under a tiled floor and suspect a leak beneath the tiles you hear a repeated clicking sound from a wall or electrical outlet you hear buzzing, crackling, or sizzling from your electrical panel or fuse box you hear dripping or running water inside a wall with no visible source you hear or find an animal trapped in a chimney, vent, wall, or ceiling you lose power in part of your home and the breaker panel looks normal you notice a ceiling beam, joist, or rafter is cracked or out of line you notice ice buildup on your roof edge and water marks appearing indoors you notice mushrooms or fungal growth appearing indoors after a water leak you notice scorch marks or burning smells around a ceiling light fixture you notice soil washing away near a foundation or retaining wall and it seems to be accelerating you notice water seeping through a basement wall you notice your roofline sagging after severe weather you see roof tiles or shingles missing after high winds you see water dripping from a ceiling light or recessed light you see water or condensation inside an outdoor electrical box or near your meter you smell a strong chemical, fuel, or solvent odour indoors and cannot find the source you smell a strong musty odour and find mould spreading quickly after dampness you smell gas or hear hissing near a gas meter, regulator, or appliance you suddenly have no hot water and your water heater shows an error or warning light you suddenly have no running water in your home you suspect your pipes are starting to freeze and the taps are slowing or sputtering your boiler or furnace is leaking water and the situation is getting worse your boiler pressure drops suddenly and the heating or hot water stops working your building water is being shut off for emergency repairs your burglar or fire alarm system is sounding and you cannot silence it or verify why your carbon monoxide detector is beeping, chirping, or showing a fault signal your clothes dryer smells unusually hot or burnt and you suspect a venting problem your cooling system fails during extreme heat and the indoor temperature is rising your dishwasher is leaking water onto the kitchen floor mid-cycle your fireplace or stove is pushing smoke back into the room your fridge or freezer stops cooling and food is thawing your heating is stuck on and your home is overheating your heating system stops working and your home is getting cold your hot water is suddenly scalding hot and you are worried about a burn risk your irrigation or sprinkler system turns on unexpectedly and won’t shut off your kitchen cabinet base is wet and you cannot find the source of the leak your main water shutoff valve is stuck and you cannot turn it your oven or stove will not turn off and you are worried it is unsafe your porch, balcony, or deck feels like it is pulling away from the building your septic system alarm goes off or the control panel shows a warning your shower or tub will not turn off and water is running continuously your tap water suddenly turns brown, smells unusual, or looks unsafe to drink your thermostat screen goes blank or shows an error and your heating or cooling won’t start your washing machine is leaking and water is spreading across the floor your water heater is leaking, discharging water, or making loud banging noises your water meter is moving even though all taps and appliances are off your water softener or filtration unit is overflowing and there is water near electrical equipment your whole home loses power and you are unsure if it is a local outage your windows are fogging up and indoor dampness and mould are appearing