Buying a new home
Make sure that you’re new home is gas safe
If you’re buying a home you should be aware that most homebuyer
surveys do not include a gas safety check. It is not included in
Home Information Packs (HIPs) either, which are a legal requirement
if you’re selling a property.
It is up to you to be gas safe, so make sure you ask the vendor
for a gas safety certificate or arrange a
gas safety check yourself.
Gas safety checks in your new home
Homebuyers cannot always be sure when the gas appliances in
their new home were last checked and serviced.
Ask your vendor for a gas safety
certificate which shows that a CORGI registered installer
(before April 1 2009) or a Gas Safe
registered engineer (after April 1st 2009) has checked the gas appliances.
If your vendor cannot supply an up to date gas safety certificate, get a Gas Safe registered engineer to check the gas appliances. This check should
include the gas boiler, oven, hob and gas fires. The registered
engineer will give the vendor a gas safety
certificate which they should handover to you before you move
in.
It is important to have gas appliances
checked before you move into your new home because of the risks
of carbon monoxide poisoning from poorly
maintained or incorrectly installed gas appliances.
Carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms
- headaches
- dizziness
- nausea
- breathlessness
- collapse
- loss of consciousness
Find out more about carbon monoxide
poisoning