Are you unclear of your gas safety responsibilities as a landlord?
If you have tenants living in your property, you are responsible for their safety, which means you have certain legal and mandatory responsibilities – yet as a heating engineer, I’m often surprised by how many clients of mine don’t do some of the following listed below.
So, if you are feeling uncertain of what’s required of you, I’d really recommend taking a look at the list of responsibilities below – it could just save a life.
1. Annual checks and CP12
By law covered by the HSE, all landlords must ensure gas appliances are checked annually and that a CP12 certificate (landlord’s gas safety certificate) is provided.
A copy of this certificate must be provided by a Gas Safe registered heating engineer and issued to the landlord or agent, with one copy held by the company and one displayed in the property issued to the tenant. These must be held on record.
Your CP12 may also detail defects or advisory points in the notes, with any unsafe appliances disconnected and a warning notice issued.
2. New efficiency measures
From April 2016, landlords may have to take action on inefficient boilers. If a tenant asks for an upgrade or efficiency measures to old, inefficient boilers or gas fires, by law the landlord will have an obligation to make these upgrades.
You can read more about these new regulations in my blog post ‘Landlords: What the New Boiler Legislation Means for You’.
3. Brief tenants when they move in
When each new tenant moves in, you must explain that their gas appliances will be checked annually and that they should never fiddle with or try to restart these appliances themselves. If an appliance is suspected to be faulty or unsafe, it must be switched off immediately and not used.
Most importantly, if there are any open-flued appliances, you must make sure there are labels stating the cupboards that accommodate these appliances cannot be used for storage.
You should also demonstrate that air vents are there for a reason and should never be covered up (in the case of drafts), as this can lead to fatal consequences. Explain this carefully to new tenants, as open-flued appliances need a direct supply of air in order to function safely and properly.
4. In case of emergencies
I strongly recommend preparing detailed instructions telling tenants what to do in an emergency. You should have labels on shut-down valves for gas and water. Leave instructions inside the cupboard of what to do and who to call, as well as exactly where these valves are located – this is what I call being proactive.
If one of your gas appliances is suspected of leaking gas, tenants must turn of the gas at the ECV emergency control valve (located at the gas meter). Call Transco, Scottish Gas Netwoks (on 0800 111 999) or call your local Gas Safe Registered engineer. Any suspected appliances must be checked or disconnected immediately.
A while back I received a phone call from tenants who claimed to smell gas. We informed them to turn the gas off at the meter and open all windows. On arriving half an hour later it was found that a new kitchen was being fitted and the joiners had put stress on the gas pipe while removing units, which we fixed immediately.
The moral of the story is, these things happen and it’s always better to be safe than sorry with tenants who are prepared in the event of a gas leak or emergency situation.
Conclusion
I hope you’ve found this blog helpful. As a landlord, it is of the utmost importance that you’re aware of your gas safety responsibilities, and follow them accordingly for safe and happy tenants. If you fail to do some of the above, you may find yourself answerable to the law, so I’m really glad you stumbled upon this blog post today!
If you have any questions, or anything in this post was unclear, please feel free to leave a comment or give me a call – I’ll do my best to answer as quickly as possible!
