As a landlord you have a responsible for the safety of your tenants whilst they reside in your rental property. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 deal with landlords’ duties to make sure gas appliances, fittings and flues provided for tenants are safe.
Landlords have a legal duty of care to ensure the safety of any appliances, fittings and flues both in the property itself and any communal areas that they may also choose to use. Landlord obligations don’t only apply to residential flats and house but also to rooms, bed-sits, bed and breakfast establishments and hotels, as well as holiday cottages, chalets and even caravans.
To ensure that you are fully aware of your responsibilities in respect of gas safety, here is a checklist that outlines what you are responsible for:
Maintenance
- The gas pipework, appliances and the chimney and flues must always be maintained in a safe condition
- All gas appliances in the property should be serviced in accordance with the frequency given in the manufacturer’s instructions. If these are not available, annual servicing is recommended.
- Although any gas appliances owned by tenants are not the landlord’s responsibility, when it comes to the connecting pipework and flue it is still the responsibility of the landlord to maintain them.
Gas safety checks
- The Gas Safety Checks must be carried out by Gas Safe registered engineer.
- Landlords are not responsible for safety checks on gas appliances owned by the tenant or any flues that solely connects to tenants own gas appliances.
Records
There are some details that must be recorded on the Gas Safety certificate, they include:
- a description of and the location of each appliance or flue checked
- the name, registration number and signature of the individual carrying out the check
- the date on which the appliance or flue was checked
- the address of the property at which the appliance or flue is installed
- the name and address of the landlord (or their agent where appropriate)
- any safety-related defect identified and any remedial action taken
- confirmation that the safety check has included an examination of the matters referred to in paragraphs (a) to (d) of
- regulation 26(9) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998
As a landlord you are also responsible for ensuring an annual gas safety check is carried out within 12 months of the installation of a new appliance or flue which you provide and annually thereafter by a Gas Safe Registered engineer.
You must also keep a record of the safety check for 2 years and issue a copy to each existing tenant within 28 days of the check being completed and issue a copy to any new tenants before they move in.
Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 you can have the annual gas safety check on each appliance or flue carried out up to 2 months before the date the check needs to be carried out but still retain the original deadline date as if the check had been carried out exactly 12 months after the previous check.
Landlords Gas Safety Certificates in Bristol
Here at DHS-UK we regularly work on behalf of Landlords to carry out Gas Safety certificates, as well as repairs and maintenance to ensure that their rental properties remain safe for their tenants to live in. Our engineers are Gas Safe registered and have many years’ experience of working on rental properties throughout Bristol and the South West. Call us today on 0117 924 7200 or contact us to find out more.
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