The law is very clear regarding the requirements from UK landlords when it talks about gas safety in a rented property. The law requires annual gas safety inspection to be undertaken by an approved CORGI registered engineer. According to the law, failure to comply with this requirement carries a fine of up to 5,000 and up to six months’ imprisonment.
By law the landlord is required to make sure the following requirements are adhered to:
* No open flue gas appliance is located in the same room where people are sleeping, a bathroom or a shower room.
* Repair, service or installation work related to gas appliances should be carried out by a Corgi registered operative.
* All fixed or mobile gas appliances within the property are maintained and their safety is inspected at least once every twelve months. The inspection must be carried out by a CORGI certified engineer.
* All work carried out to any gas appliance within the property must be approved by a set of safety tests conducted by a Corgi approved operative.
* Users of the premises must have free access to all documentation regarding the gas appliances, such as manuals, safety documents etc.
* The dates of safety inspections must be kept in a clear set of records (which should also include any defects identified and respective work done). Access should be given to the tenants to such records within 28 days of the safety inspection or prior to new tenants moving into the property.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is responsible for around 20 – 30 deaths in the UK every year. It is highly recommended that landlords install carbon monoxide detectors to protect the tenants. Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas that is the result of incomplete burning within the boiler, and is normally a result of poor boiler installation. The gas, which is a combination of a single molecule of carbon with a single molecule of oxygen, is very dangerous as it causes serious breathing difficulties, potentially leading to lethal consequences.
Landlords have no choice but to ensure that all domestic boilers on the premise are checked and services annually. Large landlords, Local Authorities and Housing Associations find this statutory obligation to cause major concern due to the administrative complexity and logistics difficulty of the gas engineer gaining access to the boiler.
Evidence shows that it is difficult for the Corgi engineer to gain access to the property in cases of large blocks of flats. During business hours, most flat are empty while their occupants are at work. It proved to be difficult to get people to stay at home to wait for the plumber to come and conduct the safety check. Tenants are reluctant to lose a day’s pay in order to stay at home for the landlord to comply with the Regulation.
In certain cases, landlords have to arrange for an entry warrant if the tenant fails to cooperate and allow access for the gas engineer. In addition to the administrative complexity, this adds substantial costs to the cost of the gas safety check (up to 500 for police attendance and potential repair).
Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about boilers, central heating, plumber Leicester, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.
Tags: bathroom, boilers, Business, construction, do-it-yourself, heating, high efficient, Home, Home Based Business, home improvement, home repair, mechancial electrical contractors, plumbers, plumbing, repair and improvement
