GAS SAFE NEWS 2012

Gas Safe Register reminds Olympic landlords; make sure your property is gas safe or face prosecution

17th April 2012

As thousands of landlords hope to make a short-term profit during the Olympic Games, Gas Safe Register is reminding them of their legal responsibility to ensure that their properties’ gas appliances, flues and pipe work are safe, or confront possible prosecution. Even under short-term rentals, a landlord has a legal obligation to keep tenants gas safe.

13 landlords have been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the last 12 months alone for failing to meet gas safety regulations, with fines ranging from £400 to £24,000] and one landlord facing six months in prison. Landlords failing to keep tenants safe will be a prime target of Gas Safe Register’s national investigations team during the Olympics.

Paul Johnston, chief executive of Gas Safe Register, commented: “Following claims that landlords may not make as much money on short-terms lets as they’d initially hoped, we are concerned that there may be some landlords scrimping on gas safety to save money. Some may also think that failing to do an annual check on gas appliances, or having a landlord’s gas safety record for a short-term rental isn’t that important. What they fail to realise is that these checks are legal requirements and are in place to save lives. Only a few months ago, a landlord was prosecuted who hadn’t carried out the relevant safety checks that had resulted in their tenants being admitted to hospital with CO poisoning.”

Landlords have a legal obligation to tenants under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 to ensure that all gas appliances and flues are safe. If you are a landlord, make sure you stay on the right side of the law when it comes to gas by:

• ensuring gas fittings and flues are maintained in a safe condition through annual safety checks;
• ensuring an annual safety check is carried out on each appliance and flue before any new lease starts;
• having all installation, maintenance and safety checks carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer;
• keeping records of each safety check for at least the past two years;
• issuing a copy of the latest safety check to the tenants within 28 days or to any new tenant before they move in.

It is also good practice to inform tenants on where to turn off the gas and what to do in the event of a gas emergency.

Paul Johnston continues:

“We will look into any claim that a landlord is not keeping their tenant safe. If you are a tenant and are worried about your property’s gas appliances or flues, or are concerned that your landlord hasn’t provided you with the relevant safety documents, you should contact us immediately.”

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