Landlords Gas Safety Responsibilities
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- Admin
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- Posted date:
- 29-01-2019
As a landlord, you should know that it's your responsibility to ensure that your tenants are safe. Your duties range from accommodating the tenants under the lease or license not limited to;
The residential premises you provide for rent by housing associations, local authorities, hostels, co-operatives or the private sector landlords
Rooms to let, private households, bed-sit accommodation, hotels or bed and breakfast housing
The rented holiday housing like cottages, chalets, flats, narrow boats on the inland waterways and the caravans.
The Gas Safety Regulations which includes installation and use (1998) stipulates the role of landlords in ensuring the gas appliances, chimneys and fittings are provided for all tenants as a measure of making sure they are safe.
Your responsibilities
If you decide to let your property that has gas appliances, be aware that you have three primary duties as outlined by the UK law;
Maintenance
Gas appliances, pipework and chimneys should be serviced regularly to keep them in good condition. The maintenance of the gas appliances should be done using the timelines given by the manufacturer. If you don't see the instructions, it recommended to service the boiler at least once a year unless your Gas Safe Engineer advises you otherwise.
All the gas appliances belonging to your tenants are not landlord's responsibility. Nevertheless, the pipe the flue and pipeline that is not connected to the devices owned by tenants' remains under your watch as the landlord.
Gas safety checks
It's the role of the landlord to ensure that all the gas appliances are safety checked by a registered Gas Safe engineer every year. According to the new guidelines introduced in April 2018, a landlord can arrange for gas safety check any time from 10th to 12th month of the year after the earlier check the clock remains unchanged. However, if the gas check is done less than ten months after the previous check, the expiry date will be adjusted to twelve months after the safety check. As a landlord, you will not be responsible for checks on the gas appliances or chimneys that belong to your tenants.
gas safety check record
The annual gas safety check record should be provided to the tenants within 28 days after the check, and to the new tenants upon the time they start staying in your building. If the rental period has not reached the 28 days after the completion of a gas safety check, you need to display the copy of the record in an open place where every tenant can see it. Remember, to keep a copy of the safety check record for at least two years for you to be safe. For the beneficiaries of the new regulations allowing flexible gas safety checks, make sure you keep the record until two subsequent checks have been done.
It's advisable always to make sure that your tenants understand how to use the appliances and what to do in case of an accident. Another important consideration when carrying out various gas works, ensure that you hire a qualified and certified Gas Safe engineer. Although it's not a provision by the law, it's an essential step in ensuring your tenants are safe. Even if you rent your property for a short time like during holidays, it's still your responsibility to ensure gas safety.
For central heating services in East London contact our Gas Safe engineers today.