Gas Safety Certificates
As a landlord, you should know that you have a legal obligation to renew the gas safety check on all the properties in you are renting or letting. This covers all your gas appliances and systems which must be checked annually by a registered Gas Safe engineer.
There are three legal requirements for landlords with tenants.
Annual Gas Safety Checks
Gas appliances and flues from boilers must be safe for use, landlords have a legal requirement for them to be checked annually. New regulations as of April 2018 mean that a gas safety check can be carried out at any time from 10-12 months after the previous one while still upholding the original check expiry date. If a check is carried out less than 10 months before or more than 12 months after the previous one, this will, in effect, reset the clock. In such an instance, the new deadline date would then be 12 months from the date of the most recent check.
Record
A copy of the Gas Safety record must be provided to existing tenants within 28 days of the check being completed, or to new tenants prior to moving in. Landlords must retain copies of said record for up to 2 years. If they have benefited from new regulations allowing for flexibility in relation to timing of gas safety checks, then records must be kept until 2 more checks have been undertaken.
Maintenance
Any such checks usually involve a series of regular inspections and any related repairs. Landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that both gas pipework, and gas appliances/flues are maintained appropriately and safely. These should be serviced in line with the manufacturer’s instructions. However, if they aren’t readily available then annual servicing is recommended, unless otherwise advised by a Gas Safe engineer. While landlords aren’t formally required to retain maintenance records, they should be able to provide evidence of regular servicing of their appliances and flues.
If you are the Tenant
There are various steps which a tenant can take to ensure that their home is safe. A Gas Safe engineer must be allowed to enter the property to undertake any maintenance or safety checks. You should always ask the engineer for proof of ID to ensure they are both registered and qualified to carry out the work.
While you are solely responsible for the maintenance of your own gas appliances, it remains the landlord’s responsibility to ensure the gas pipework and chimneys/flues are appropriately maintained. This is still the case even if they are serving an appliance owned by the tenant.
You are legally entitled to see a copy of the gas safety certificate for your property. If your landlord refuses to show you this, you should make a complaint to your local Health and Safety executive.
A gas safety inspection is of paramount importance to the health of a whole household. If you’re living on the West Sussex or in the surrounding area, we’ll be happy to assist you with your gas safety check. Simply get in touch with us to speak to one of our friendly team.
We’ll help you get your gas safety certificate, and ensure that your property is safe and ready to serve those living in it.