Landlords Statutory Requirements – Check Gas Boiler
The UK legal regulations are very detailed when discussing the standard for landlords of rental properties in relation to gas safety. The property has to be inspected for gas safety levels by a Corgi approved engineer. If the landlord does not meet this requirement he or she are liable to a fine of up to 5,000 and up to six months imprisonment.
The law requires the landlord to ensure the following:
* No open flue gas appliance is located in the same room where people are sleeping, a bathroom or a shower room.
* Any work such as repair, service on installation to gas appliances must be carried out by a Corgi certified engineer.
* All fixed or mobile gas appliances within the property are maintained and their safety is inspected at least once every twelve months. The inspection must be carried out by a CORGI certified engineer.
* Any work done on gas appliances within the premises should be approved according to a list of safety tests undertaken by a Corgi approved engineer.
* The tenants living in the property must have unrestricted access to all documentation relating to the gas appliances (e.g. manuals for the appliances, safety documents).
*A clear set of records is kept detailing the dates of safety inspections and any defects identified and respective work undertaken. The tenants must have access to a copy of these records within 28 days of the safety inspection or prior to new occupants moving into the property.
It is highly recommended for landlords to install carbon monoxide detection and alarm devices to protect the tenants or users of the property. Carbon monoxide is a lethal gas that occurs where there is an incomplete burning within the gas boiler, yielding a combination of a single molecule of oxygen with a single molecule or carbon. The gas, which has no odour or colour leads to breathing difficulties and sometimes to death. There are around 20 to 30 deaths in the UK every year as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Landlords have no choice but to ensure that all domestic boilers on the premise are checked and services annually. Large landlords, Local Authorities and Housing Associations find this statutory obligation to cause major concern due to the administrative complexity and logistics difficulty of the gas engineer gaining access to the boiler.
Evidence shows that it is difficult for the Corgi engineer to gain access to the property in cases of large blocks of flats. During business hours, most flat are empty while their occupants are at work. It proved to be difficult to get people to stay at home to wait for the plumber to come and conduct the safety check. Tenants are reluctant to lose a day’s pay in order to stay at home for the landlord to comply with the Regulation.
Landlords, who are obliged to comply with the law, may have to resort to obtaining an entry warrant if the tenant does not co-operate. This can incur additional cost of approximately 500 per dwelling for police attendance and making good.
Tal Potishman, editor of Heating Central, writes articles about boilers, central heating, plumber Leicester, underfloor heating and solar thermal. He specializes in helping save money by advising on efficient heating.