Gas safety services are crucial for any property. Nonetheless, all gas appliances must be serviced and certified by a gas safe registered firm. Hence, as a homeowner, landlord, or estate agent in London, it’s your responsibility to abide by all the gas safety rules and ensure that all the pipework and appliances given to tenants are examined.
What are gas safety certificates?
These are reports that show that all appliances in a particular property are safe to use. Thus, all landlords, homeowners, and estate agents must be aware of all the rules and regulations concerning gas safety.
Duties of property owners regarding gas safety certificates
Landlords and estate agents should be aware of the appliances that require checking. Also, they should collaborate with tenants to ensure that they are all safe. Accordingly, all gas appliances you provide for use by tenants must be inspected.
Additionally, you will be responsible for the pipework; therefore, it’s your responsibility to take proper care of all gas appliances.
However, if tenants acquire their own gas devices, then the landlord may only be partly liable for the appliance. Further, you must be careful about flues, for instance, chimneys. So, the landlord should be cautious about the carbon monoxide alarm given to the tenants.
How can you obtain gas certificates?
To comply with the law, prevent accidents and deaths, homeowners in London are required to obtain gas safety certificate. Moreover, besides renewing gas certificates annually, they are expected to have all copies of each gas inspection report for at least two years.
Gas inspection check reports are given by an engineer registered with the gas safety scheme. Since various engineers may hold different qualifications, the cost of a gas safety certificate may also vary.
Furthermore, the engineer will carry out some actions during the check, some of these are;
-Monitoring the appliances for gas tightness
-Checking the gas tightness, gas rates, and burner pressure as per the manufacturer’s guidelines
-Investigating the strength and effectiveness of the stability brackets
-Examining any evidence of dangerous operation and in case of such cases, they report the individual responsible.
Once the check is complete, the property owner is issued with a gas safety report.
What information is contained in a gas safety certificate?
Gas safety certificates are some of the crucial things you need to have in procession if you’re a homeowner, a landlord, or an estate agent. Tenants and property buyers should also take an interest in these certificates as well.
A gas safety certificate contains vital information, for instance;
-Gas description of all appliances/flue inspected.
-The date of the appliance/flue test.
-Name, registration number and the signature of the engineer who performed the check
– Property address where the appliance/ flue was checked.
-Name and address of the property owner or agency.
-Any defects identified during the inspection and any action which requires to be taken to fix it.
-Final confirmation of the results of operational safety checks carried out on appliances.
Why is a gas safety certificate required?
If you want the best deal, then ensure that you obtain a proper certificate. Accordingly, gas safety certificates are vital for various reasons;
-They show that all appliances in your property are safe, and you have met all the set guidelines.
– Assist in deciding on the date for the next servicing.
What can homeowners and landlords do to acquire good gas certificates?
Homeowners and landlords should ensure that they obtain gas safety certificates and provide copies of the same to tenants or buyers. Also, landlords are responsible for checking all the gas appliances and ensure that they are safe. Additionally, they should contact registered engineers remember the dates when the appliances require checking.
