It is the time of year again when thoughts may turn to heating our homes and a timely reminder comes with Gas Safety Week, on how to stay safe with any gas appliances.
In its 13th year this national campaign, goes across the whole industry with the one common goal of keeping the nation gas safe through raising awareness of the dangers of gas and giving advice on how to prevent issues.
Badly fitted and poorly serviced appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and every year thousands of people across the UK are diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless and toxic gas. You can’t see it, taste it or smell it, but it can kill quickly with no warning.
Around 50 people die every year from CO poisoning caused by gas, oil and solid fuel appliances and flues that have not been properly installed, maintained or that are poorly ventilated.
So, what is the responsibility for landlords and tenants?
As well having any gas appliances serviced regularly, as a landlord you are legally obliged to arrange a gas safety check every 12 months and provide tenants with a copy of the gas safety record. Failure to ensure proper gas safety checks are undertaken can result in custodial sentences.
In addition, landlords in the private rented sector in England are required to ensure that smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are appropriately installed and are in proper working order at the start of a new tenancy. Landlords or agents will then have to ensure that the alarms work at the start of each new tenancy.
During the tenancy it is a tenant’s responsibility to ensure that all alarms work and it is their responsibility to change the batteries during the tenancy. However, should the alarms become faulty during the tenancy, landlords are responsible for replacing the alarms.
At Pennington we can manage this for you and only use qualified and accredited gas safety engineers, so can arrange for the servicing and gas safety checks as and when they are required as well as any action that is needed. With the fitted alarms we have been able to offer a very competitive price to supply and fit alarms for all landlords to comply. As well as ensure that tenants sign to confirm the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are working at check-in in accordance with the landlord obligations.
As always, if you would like any further discussion on this or anything else on the local property market, please contact the team.
To check statistics on gas safety in your postcode see here.
Tel: 01473 214343
Email: info@pennington-online.co.uk
Or come and see us at our new office location – 45 Woodbridge Road East, Ipswich, IP4 5QN
