Landlord Voice Magazine April 2015 - Manchester | Page 20

Gas Safety Checks:
how they affect landlords
Figures obtained from Public Health England show 4,000 people attend accident and
emergency departments due to carbon monoxide poisoning in England every year, while there
are 40 accidental deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning in England and Wales each year.

The consequences for
landlords who do not
meet their responsibilities for gas safety in their
buy-to-let properties can
be serious.

ty (Installation and Use) Regulations
1998, while more wide-ranging gas
safety rules for landlords can be
found in the Health and Safety at
Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work
Regulations 1999.

In 2014 two brothers from Dudley were ordered to pay fines and
costs of more than £3,000 after they
failed to obtain a gas safety record
for a property they rented out.

What are landlords’ responsibilities under the
Gas Safety (Installation
and Use) Regulations
1998?

Although investigating Health
and Safety Executive (HSE) officers
found no trace of gas in the property, Dudley Magistrates’ Court was
told how the pair had admitted not
having kept a gas safety record for
eight years after one was requested
by the HSE.

What are the laws governing landlords’ and gas
safety?

Landlords must be sure that gas
fittings and flues are kept in a safe
condition. Appliances must be
serviced as set out in manufacturers’ instructions. Otherwise, they
should be serviced annually unless
a Gas Safe registered engineer advises a different course of action.

An annual safety check must be carried out on each gas appliance or
flue. Inquiries should also be made
to confirm checks have been carGuidelines which protect tenants’ ried out within one year before the
safety are contained in the Gas Safe- start of a new tenancy agreement
Page 20

unless the appliances in the property have been installed for less than
12 months.

“Landlords must
ensure that installation, maintenance
and safety checks are
carried out by a Gas
Safe-registered
engineer”
They must also keep a record of
each safety check for at least two
years and issue a copy of the latest
recorded safety checks to tenants
within 28 days of their completion.
New tenants should be given a
copy of the latest check before they
move in.
The above safety checks and maintenance do not cover appliances
owned by tenants, flues or chimneys connected to an appliance

Gas safety checks - How they affect landlords