Unsure of what to look for in a heating engineer?
As an estate agent, there are so many reasons you might need to find a new heating engineer; perhaps you have properties on your books in need of renovation, have gas appliances that need to be checked over and certified safe for use, or require a CP12 certificate for rental properties.
Whatever the reason, a trustworthy heating engineer you can truly rely on to get the job done can be worth his or her weight in gold – but finding one can be tricky when you don’t know what to look for.
As an experienced heating engineer myself, I’ve put together a checklist below to help you find the best heating company for the job.
1. Are they Gas Safe registered?
Any person fitting or servicing gas appliances must be Gas Safe registered. You can check the Gas Safe register to ensure they are definitely on there, as well as the type of work they are qualified to do.
2. Do they specialise in gas appliances?
You may assume most heating engineers specialise in gas appliances, but in reality, many engineers also carry out plumbing and joinery work so they may not even be working with gas on a weekly basis.
You should look for an experienced company that specialises in gas work, are skilled in working with most makes of boilers and are up-to-date with all of the latest regulations.
3. Can you contact them easily?
If you’re running a busy estate agency, good communication is of the utmost importance. Ideally, you should be looking for a company that’s big enough to fulfill your needs, but still small enough to care. They should be able to answer the phone, know who you are and deal with emergencies without you having to wait on hold.
4. Do they offer fast turnaround in emergencies?
If a boiler breaks down, for instance in one of your rental properties, and tenants are left without heating or hot water, you’re most likely going to need a repair or replacement immediately. A good heating engineer will recognise you can provide steady business and be able to prioritise your customers with a fast turnaround.
Last week I had an email come in from a client who had a property in York Place. The boiler had been condemned, and he needed a replacement fast as the property was due to be let at the weekend. We visited the property, met the agent, provided a quote and managed to get the work done in time, leading to one happy client!
5. Do they keep thorough records?
If you have many properties on your books, you need to keep records and ensure that everything is kept in order – this also extends to your heating engineer, who should keep a clear record of maintenance certificates and reminders for when a boiler is due for a service.
6. Are they fully qualified to meet your needs?
Engineers require separate qualifications for boilers, cookers, fires and LPG gas (if a property is not on mains gas), but don’t take for granted that they will be qualified for everything you need – always check first.
The Gas Safe register is probably the first place you should check when looking for a new heating engineer, as you can tick all the boxes of the work you are looking to be done, and it will only return engineers who are qualified for these works.
7. Do they offer PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) inspections?
Last but not least, it’s also helpful if you can get the same company to carry out PAT (Portable Appliance Testing) inspections as this often means you can kill two birds with one stone and cut down on costs.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Finally, the last piece of advice I want to give you is to build up a solid relationship with two or three good heating engineers (if you can find them!), to ensure that you’ll definitely be covered in emergencies.
This is oh so important if you suddenly need two or more jobs at once during peak times such as in the depths of winter when many heating engineers are at their busiest.
Conclusion
By now, you should have a good idea of what to look for in a reliable, experienced heating engineer. If you’re running a busy estate agency, I’d actually recommend building up trusting relationships with two or three you can turn to so you’ll be covered for all eventualities in case you need them in an emergency.
Remember, a good heating engineer should be:
- Gas Safe registered
- Specialists in all categories of gas appliances
- Easily contactable
- Able to respond immediately
- Thorough with keeping their records
- Fully qualified to meet your needs
- Able to offer PAT inspections
What’s the most important thing you care about when finding a new heating engineer?
