Of the numerous responsibilities that come with being a landlord, none is quite as important as ensuring your property is compliant with gas safety laws.

Gas appliances or systems that are incorrectly installed or inadequately maintained increase the risk of fire, explosion and deadly carbon monoxide poisoning.

This means regular gas safety checks are required, but who is responsible for the checks, the tenant or the landlord?

Current Gas Laws

As a landlord, you are legally expected to ensure that all gas appliances in your property are safe to use and are not a risk to your tenants.

The law clearly states this and requires landlords to comply with several gas safe conditions; these include:

• Gas safety regulation 1998 stipulates that landlords must ensure that gas appliances, flues and pipework are safe and kept in good working order.
• A certified gas-safe registered engineer must conduct annual gas safety checks.
• Gas safety checks must be confirmed with a gas safety certificate showing gas safety compliance.

How Gas Certificates Work

Gas safety checks are mandatory, not optional and must be conducted within twelve months of the last inspection.

In addition, gas safety certificates can be renewed two months before the current one expires. But, of course, you won’t lose two months’ validity on your existing gas certificate.

For example, suppose the current certificate expires on 30 November 2022.

In that case, the gas check could be booked for the beginning of October, and the expiry date for the new certificate would be 30 November 2023.

Can I Do My Own Gas Safety Check?

While most landlords engage in a little DIY to save money, using YouTube or other means to try and conduct your own gas safety check is illegal.

As a landlord, you must ensure your gas safe engineer is registered on the Gas Safe Register.

In the UK, it is illegal for non-registered individuals to work on domestic gas appliances.

In addition, registered gas engineers must carry their Gas Safe ID card, which shows their qualifications.

As with any trade, there are fake gas engineers who use fake ID cards to find gainful employment.

Therefore it’s always best to do a quick check on the gas register to ensure your engineer is qualified and is legally allowed to provide your property with the required certification.

Besides, as a responsible landlord, you wouldn’t want your property to be confirmed gas safe only to discover through devastating circumstances that this was not the case!

What Checks Are Done By A Gas Safe Engineer?

A gas safe engineer will come to your home and inspect all domestic gas appliances and systems.

These include the cooker, hot water system and boiler.

This involves several visual and physical checks, as detailed below.

A gas-safe engineer will:

• Check the gas heating system, boiler flue system, hob/cooker
• Check all gas safety devices are working – these shut off the gas in the event of a leak.
• Conduct a tightness test at the gas meter to ensure no leaks.
• Check the air supply and ventilation around all systems.
• Check the boiler’s pressure valve.
• Ensure the gas rate and burner pressure are correct.

If any issues are found, the gas engineer may request your permission to shut off the gas supply if there is any danger to your tenants or advise of any necessary repairs.

Note repairs will need to be carried out as soon as possible.

What To Expect After A Gas Check

All registered gas-safe engineers will issue you with a gas safety certificate after their inspection.

This will show each appliance or system that was checked and detail any required issues, defects or repair action.

Unlike gas and boiler servicing, a gas safety check doesn’t include repairing gas appliances.

Do I Need To Keep The Gas Safety Certificate?

The gas safety certificate is an important document and should be kept on file for at least two years, or until the tenancy ends, by you or your property agent.

You also need to supply your tenants with a copy of the certificate for their records.

Existing tenants should be provided with a copy gas certificate no later than 28 days after the gas check.

New tenants as standard, must receive a copy of the current certificate before moving into the property.

If your property is managed by a rental agent, they will usually arrange the annual gas checks and inform the tenants when it is due.

However, don’t ever assume this is the case and always check this service is one your agent provides.

Smoke And Carbon Monoxide Regulations Due To Change

Two things that go hand in hand with gas safety are smoke and CO2 alarms.

If anything goes wrong with the gas supply, it could result in a fire or carbon monoxide emissions, both of which require early warning systems to prevent accidental death and injury.

Thus these alarms are vital for gas safety in your property.

That said, there are certain rule changes due to be implemented that landlords need to be made aware of.

#1  Previous responsibility:

Landlords have to ensure alarms are working at the beginning of the tenancy.

New responsibility:

Landlords will be responsible for the repair and replacement of alarms throughout the tenancy if an issue is found or reported.

#2 Previous responsibility:

CO alarms are required in rooms where solid fuel is burnt.

New responsibility:

Co alarms are required in rooms where solid fuel is burnt and in any room housing a fixed combustion appliance, for example, a gas boiler. But only when a new appliance is installed.

When Are These Changes Happening?

As landlords, you need to be aware that these changes, when approved, will come into force immediately, with many agents anticipating these changes as soon as this autumn.

Therefore ensuring your property is compliant now is definitely worth consideration.

Conclusion

As a responsible landlord ensuring your property is gas-safe compliant is paramount for the safety of your tenants and property.

If an agent manages your property, enquire if the gas safety checks are being done annually and if adequate records are being kept.

However, if you self-manage your property, haul out the last gas safety certificate and check the expiry date to ensure you book your gas check on time.

If you’d like to find out more about how Ashtons can help you contact one of our branches for further information.