Gas Safety for Landlords: Everything You Need to Know.

Have you taken on property to let out to the public, but are unsure of your responsibilities? If you’re a recent addition to the property rental game or simply need a recap of your landlord gas boiler obligations, then read on…

Gas Safety Certificate

All landlords are required under Statutory Instrument SI.534 of 2008 Housing (Standards for Rented Houses) Regulations, to obtain a Gas Safety Certificate for any gas appliance in their rental home(s) to prove that it has been routinely checked for safety. As well as gas installations, this also includes any LPG appliances and flues/pipes.

Who Issues the Gas Safety Certificate?

The Gas Safety Certificate can only be issued by a registered Gas Safe Engineer after they have carried out checks/tests on the installation and/or flue and it has passed. All Gas Safe Engineers are RGI registered, meaning they are qualified to work safely on a huge range of gas boilers, appliances and flues/pipework.

How Often Should I Get My Appliances Tested?

All landlords are required by law to have their onsite appliances and flues tested annually. All newly fitted gas appliances should be tested within twelve months of being installed, and should subsequently be tested annually with a new certificate issued for each passed test. A copy of the certificate is passed on to the tenant within four weeks of the test, for their own records. All certificates should be retained by the landlord in a safe place for at least two years after the annual check, although it is good practice to keep the certificates for longer. Any new tenant should receive a copy of the gas safety certificates once they move in.

What If My Tenant Wants to Install Their Own Gas Appliance?

There’s nothing stopping a tenant from bringing their own appliance, but this means that they’re responsible for arranging the annual safety checks and keeping the Gas Safety Certificate in a safe place. It’s still the landlord’s responsibility to get the appliance safely installed, however. Many landlords send annual reminders to their tenants to have gas safety checks carried out for their own appliances, and even better, many landlords still include their tenants’ appliances in any gas safety maintenance carried out. To save any confusion or potential safety issues later on, it’s a good idea to include any regulations on tenant-provided gas installations in the tenancy contract.

Why Am I in Charge of My Tenants’ Safety?

Although modern central heating and gas heating systems and appliances are incredibly safe and energy efficient, if they do break, they can be fatal. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 state that the landlord is responsible for the maintenance and continued safety of any gas installation, pipework and flues in the home. It is imperative that the home you rent out and the appliances in it are safe to use and are not going to be potentially harmful to your tenants.

Quick, Efficient and Worth It.

All in all, a routine gas safety check for your rental home, is a quick, easy and efficient way to ensure the wellbeing of your tenants and your own peace of mind.