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Safety · France
Updated September 2026

🛢️ I smell gas — who do I call?

Direct answer

Open windows, do not switch anything on or off — no lights, no phone inside, no doorbell — leave the building, and call the gas emergency number of Urgence sécurité gaz GRDF (0 800 47 33 33) from outside; it is free and staffed 24/7. If someone is unwell or the smell is strong, 112 — emergency (112). The gas company comes, makes it safe and tells you what was wrong. The landlord pays for repairs to the installation; Service communal d'hygiène et de santé (SCHS) / ARS (service-public.fr) can inspect an installation the landlord neglects.

Call firstUrgence sécurité gaz GRDF
Report to112 — emergency
If that failsService communal d'hygiène et de santé (SCHS) / ARS

🗣️ What to say

"I smell gas at [address], [floor / flat]. The smell is [strong / faint], since [time]. I have opened the windows and left the building. [Someone feels unwell.] Please send someone."

🪜 Step by step

  1. Windows open, nothing switchedNo light switches, no lifts, no phone inside, no cigarettes. Turn off the gas at the meter only if it is safe and you know how.
  2. Out, then callThe gas emergency line from outside. Warn neighbours by knocking, not by ringing.
  3. Unwell? 112Headache, dizziness, nausea — get out and call the emergency number.
  4. Let them inThe gas engineer must access the meter and appliances. Do not re-enter until told it is safe.
  5. AfterwardsThe report names the fault. A rental: the landlord repairs; refuse to use the appliance until certified. Carbon-monoxide alarm: buy one.

📇 All contacts

Urgence sécurité gaz GRDFGas smell: 24/7 free interventionImmediately, from outside📞 0 800 47 33 33🔗 www.grdf.fr
112 — emergencyPolice, fire and ambulance, any EU country, freeDanger to life, fire, gas smell, someone hurt📞 112
Service communal d'hygiène et de santé (SCHS) / ARSUnfit housing, mould, pests, noiseWhen health is at risk at home🔗 www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F16158
Mairie — police municipale / services techniquesNuisances, roads, cleanliness, civil registry, lost propertyFor anything the municipality handles🔗 www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/N31

❓ Frequently asked

Is the emergency call free?

Yes, and it does not go on your bill. Never hesitate because of cost.

I am not sure it is gas

Call anyway. A false alarm costs nothing; a real one costs a building.

The landlord will not service the boiler

Annual gas safety checks are a legal duty in most countries; report to Service communal d'hygiène et de santé (SCHS) / ARS and refuse to use an uncertified appliance.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

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🧭 Is this still correct?

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