In 1998 under Gas Safety regulations it became a legal requirement that any landlord who supplies gas appliances in tenanted accommodation must get them checked and listed in a document called a ‘Gas Safety Certificate’.
This is a yearly requirement, and failure to get a safety certificate could result in an expensive fine or even imprisonment. All gas appliances are included in the report, including gas fires, cookers and hobs, gas water heaters and boilers.
Of course all safety checks and any maintenance or repairs must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer, which is where we come in.
There are a number of strict procedures that a gas safe engineer must follow when carrying out a landlord safety check:
• Check appliance for gas tightness
• Record standing and working pressure
• Check for satisfactory provision for ventilation
• Record burner pressure and gas rate
• Test flue flow to ensure removal of products of combustion
• Check the operation of flame failure devices
• Perform tightness test for full system
• overall condition and investigate for any evidence of unsafe operation
• Ensure all gas appliances and flues are maintained and are in a safe condition
• Establish that an annual gas safety check is carried out on each and every appliance
• Ensure that any repair, servicing and maintenance on any gas appliance, boiler or flue is carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer
• Keep a record of each safety check for a minimum of 2 years
• Issue a copy of the Gas Safety Certificate to an existing tenant within 28 days after the check has been carried out, or to any new tenants when they move in