Starting today (14th September), through to 20th, is Gas Safety Week. It’s an annual event coordinated by Gas Safe Register to help raise awareness of gas safety and the importance of looking after your gas appliances.
As a landlord you have a legal responsibility to have these appliances checked. So, what sort of things should you be doing?
You have a legal responsibility to ensure:
-
All gas appliances, flues and pipework that are provided for your tenants are maintained in a safe condition.
-
A Gas Safety Record is provided to your tenant within 28 days of completing the check, and to any new tenant before they move in.
-
You keep a copy of the Gas Safety Record yourself, until two further checks have taken place.
-
All flues and appliances provided for your tenant undergo an annual safety check. If you don’t, your tenants can report you to HSE (Health and Safety Executive), so it’s important to remember. If you need a bit of help, you can request a free reminder from StayGasSafe.co.uk. Soon, you’ll be able to set a reminder in Reoli too.
-
All maintenance and safety checks are carried out by a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer. If you need help finding out, check out GasSafeRegister.co.uk.
-
All gas equipment is safe or removed before re-letting. This includes any gas appliance left by a previous tenant.
Although it’s not a legal requirement to have a CO (carbon monoxide) alarm installed in parts of the UK (unless there’s a solid fuel device in place), it’s good practice to do it anyway. Bad fitted or poorly services gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and CO poisoning, so installing an alarm can mean the difference between life and death. CO is a silent killer - you can’t see it, taste it or smell it.
Remember to make sure that any engineers hired to carry out work are qualified and registered with Gas Safe. You can find this information on the Gas Safe Register website, or by asking to see their ID. It’s also a good idea to encourage your tenants to ask for their ID and check it when they arrive, too.
For more information, or to find or check an engineer, check out GasSafeRegister.co.uk