The Importance of a Gas Safety Certificate
A gas safety certificate is a legal requirement for landlords who wish to rent out their property, as the certificate proves that all gas appliances within the property are working properly and conform to safety standards.
As a landlord, you should be checking that your boiler was installed by someone qualified for the job - Or was your fitting one of the 25 million illegal jobs that took place last year? How clued up are you when it comes to the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?
With that in mind, here are some shocking statistics to be aware of.
1. 1 in 9 boilers inspected by Gas Safe Register are thought to be unsafe (source)
2. 61% of the UK hadn’t got their boilers serviced last year (source)
3. Unqualified gas fitters do a quarter of a million illegal gas jobs each year (source)
4. 50 deaths a year occur from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. 4,000 people go to A&E and a further 200 people are hospitalised from CO poisoning a year in England and Wales (source)
5. Gas fires are the most dangerous appliance in the home and 1 in 2 gas fires inspected by Gas Safe Register are found to be unsafe (source)
6. 41% of the UK wouldn’t know what to do if there is CO in their home (source)
7. Almost 27 million people in the UK don’t have a carbon monoxide alarm in their home (source)
8. Dozens of carbon monoxide alarms sold via Amazon and eBay have been taken offline after failing safety tests (source)
9. 1 in 3 landlords aren’t aware it’s their responsibility to get gas appliances checked annually (source)
10. The Gas Emergency Service answers more than 1.6 million calls each year – which equates to one call every 20 seconds – from across the country (source)
11. One in five homes (17%) in the UK suffered a boiler breakdown in the past year (source)
This is why it is a legal requirement for all landlords to provide the tenants with a current gas safety certificate before they check into the property. If you go without not only are you leaving your tenants at risk, but you could end up with a criminal conviction resulting in a prison sentence– not just a fine. AND it means you cannot serve a Section 21 notice to evict your tenants as you have to be able to prove the Gas Safety Certificate was served to your tenants prior to them moving in.
As a tenant, it’s in your best interest to let a Gas Safe registered engineer in if they visit your property to carry out a check – but don’t forget to ask to see their Gas Safe ID card first. Make sure you check with your landlord or agent if you aren’t expecting an engineer to call.
A gas safety certificate with us costs from £75 and includes up to three appliances. It usually takes around 30 minutes to 1 hour, and will contain:
Name and address of the owner of the property
Address of the property
The date on when it was checked
Description and location of each appliance
Notes on any faults and how it has been corrected
Name and signature of who carried out the checks
Confirmation of results
Top Tips For Gas Safety
Six simple steps to help keep your tenants safe and warm in your home:
Ensure that only a Gas Safe registered engineer is used to fit, fix and service your appliances. You can find and check an engineer at GasSafeRegister.co.uk or call 0800 408 5500.
Check both sides of the engineer’s Gas Safe Register ID card. Make sure they are qualified for the work that needs doing. You can find this information on the back of the card.
Make sure you receive a copy of the Gas Safety Certificate – there should be two copies provided by the engineer; one for the tenant and one for the landlord or managing agent.
Make sure your tenants are aware of the six signs of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning – headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse, and loss of consciousness. Unsafe gas appliances can pose a risk of CO poisoning, gas leaks, fires, and explosions.
Check gas appliances for warning signs that they are not working properly e.g. lazy yellow flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks or stains on or around the appliance and too much condensation in the room.
Fit an audible carbon monoxide alarm. This will alert tenants if there is carbon monoxide in the home. Make sure it is tested on a regular basis – if it is not working properly you may not realise until it is too late. A landlord or agent can write this into the Tenancy Agreement, and they should also be tested by you or the agent on property inspections
Gas Safety Certificates are so important not just because they protect the people living in the property, but also protect landlords in the long run as there is a binding document that will protect them from any potential blame or court costs in case of any problems do occur.
For more information see here:
https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk
http://bucksfire.gov.uk/news/be-alert-signs-unsafe-gas-appliances/