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.

The law requires the landlord to ensure the following:

* Open flue gas appliances should not be located in the same room where people are sleeping, or a bathroom.

* Repair, service or installation work related to gas appliances should be carried out by a Corgi registered operative.

* Fixed or mobile gas appliances within the premises should be maintained in good working order and inspected annually by a Corgi approved 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.

*The tenants must have unrestricted access to all appropriate documentation for all gas appliances (such as manuals, safety notices, instructions and labels).

* 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.

The law is very strict with landlords, forcing them to ensure all domestic boilers are checked and serviced every year. Such statutory requirement causes major headaches for large landlords and housing associations. These groups struggle with the administrative and logistical effort of providing access to the Corgi certified engineer to the property.

Landlords are finding it difficult to fulfil their legal requirements in cases such as of large blocks of flats. During normal hours, most tenants are at work and the flats are locked and empty, preventing the gas engineer from undertaking the required safety checks. Tenants are reluctant to use their annual leave days, or lose a day's pay in order to wait at home for the gas engineer, making it difficult for the landlord to fulfil their legal requirement.

In extreme cases, a landlord has to resort to issuing an entry warrant into the property if the tenant fails to cooperate. Such cases are very regrettable as they are complicated and costly, due to the need for police to attend and additional making good costs (which can get to 500 per property).

Article Source: http://www.energyefficienthomearticles.com

Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about boilers, central heating, Kingsbury plumbers, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated