A burst pipe is a nightmare scenario for both home owners and renters in South West London. It can cause so much damage in a matter of minutes, as mains water rushes into your property - soaking carpets, spoiling furniture and ruining your decor.

If you live in a flat, it can be a particularly challenging situation to deal with. The burst pipe may not even be in your flat, but one above you. This means extra steps in contacting the owner or landlord to get it fixed, while you scramble to protect your belongings. If the crisis is in your flat, you also have your neighbours below you to think about.

Here, we’ll look at how to keep everything safe and dry while burst pipe repairs are carried out - and how temporary storage can be a lifesaver.

What to do immediately after a pipe bursts

It’s crucial to act fast as soon as you notice any problems with plumbing, whether it’s a small leak or a full-blown burst pipe. The first important steps are to:

• Turn off the mains water supply - or contact the owner/landlord of the affected flat if it’s not your own, so that they can stop the flow of water
• Only if it’s safe to do so, turn any nearby electrical appliances off
• Contact an emergency plumber to make temporary repairs to the pipework
• Contact your insurance company to arrange to make a claim

Once you’ve done those initial steps, it’s time for damage limitation. You need to move everything out of harm’s way. If just one room is affected, shift furniture and belongings to another room for the time being, to prevent them from soaking up water.

If the whole flat is affected, you’ll need to arrange for temporary storage as soon as possible.

How temporary storage can help in a burst pipe emergency

If you live in a flat in South West London, you may not necessarily have lots of extra space available to store belongings from a flood-affected room. It could make your flat practically unliveable, having everything piled up in your living space.

So, a better solution can be to make use of a temporary storage solution - somewhere safe and dry to keep everything while repairs are done, carpets reinstated and rooms redecorated.

You have two options:

1: Self-storage in South West London

Your first option is to take everything to a nearby self-storage unit. Kiwi Storage has conveniently and centrally located storage units across South West London, ideal for residents of Richmond, Wimbledon, Battersea and Wandsworth.

There are units of all sizes available, suitable for just a few boxes or the contents of your whole flat. You simply choose a unit, book and pay online, and move your belongings in. You can access your stuff when you need to, and the booking is flexible so you can get everything back again as soon as repairs are finished.

2: Mobile storage

Our London mobile storage solution is ideal for unexpected crises like a burst pipe in a flat. This is where we bring the storage unit right to you. If you need flexible temporary storage in a hurry, call us to arrange delivery of a Kiwi Cube - a 35 square foot mobile storage unit.

We bring it to your flat, you fill it and we take it away to one of our secure storage facilities nearby.

Once your flat is dried out, repaired and redecorated, you can arrange for your unit to be dropped off. You don’t need to drive anywhere, do much in the way of heavy lifting, or spend a fortune. You can just concentrate on getting the emergency dealt with and getting your flat back to normal.

Book your storage solution here, or give us a call on 020 8264 0550 if you have any questions.