When to call an electrician
Call an electrician when part of the house goes dark, a socket runs warm, or a breaker opens and then opens again. Before the call, see what went dark and whether the neighbours still have light.
When the call is the right step
One dark room with the rest of the house still lit is reason enough to call. So is a socket that stays warm under the hand, or the smell of hot plastic near the panel.
A lamp that flickers in the same fitting for days needs a person who will look for the cause, not a fresh lamp every evening. If a breaker opens, you reset it, and it opens again, leave it open and call.
How to describe the fault
Say whether one room went dark or the whole house did. Name the place, such as the kitchen or the bedroom that faces the courtyard.
Say if the socket is warm, if the breaker opens again, or if the light flickers. Do not guess the name of a part you have not seen.
What to switch off first
Open the breaker for that room if you know which one it is. If you do not know it, open the main breaker and leave the panel cover closed.
Unplug the appliance that was running when the fault started, such as the iron or the pump. Do not pull a cable apart, and do not put a screwdriver into a socket.
What you can check before the call
Write the names of the rooms that went dark, and the name of a room that stayed lit. Look from the window or the door and see whether the neighbours still have light.
If the street and the house are both dark, say that to the person who comes. If the street is lit and the house is not, say that too, because it changes where the looking starts.
What to tell the person at the door
Tell them which rooms went dark and which breaker you left open. Say whether the fault is a warm socket, a breaker that opens again, or a light that flickers.
Point to the panel without taking the cover off. If a socket is warm, say so before a hand is put on it.
The panel is not for a curious guest
The panel is not a show for someone visiting the house. The cover comes off for the person who will work, not for someone who wants to see the wires.
Curiosity here is not a harmless question. A fingertip on a live bar is enough to injure, and the closed cover is the limit.
How a visit usually proceeds
The electrician starts by looking at what you described, then tests the circuit you isolated. If the fault is a breaker or a socket, they replace it after the circuit is isolated.
They may only tighten a loose joint, or leave a breaker open if they see marks from heat. Ask what they found, and write the sentence in the notebook so you do not tell it again next time.