Gas Safety Certificate For Landlords
It is important to remember that only landlords are responsible for ensuring the safety of gas. This applies to landlords who own residential properties and those who rent rooms or holiday accommodation.
Before they can put their homes for sale landlords must demonstrate that the pipework and appliances in their homes are safe. This can be done with an official gas safety certificate.
What is a gas safety certification?
If you're a tenant or homeowner, you need to adhere to the law in regards to keeping your gas appliances and installation in good working order. This is why every property owner must obtain their gas safety certificate at least once a year. What exactly is a gas safety certificate? And who needs one?
A Gas Safe Certificate, also called a Landlord Gas Safety Record, is an official document issued by a licensed Gas Safe engineer after carrying an extensive inspection of all gas appliances and flues in your rental home. The engineer will also check that all ventilation channels are free of obstructions in your rental properties to avoid the risk of carbon dioxide build-up.
The Gas Safe Certificate will provide you with the results of your annual inspection. It will list all of the inspected gas appliances and installations, including their model, make and location within your property. The engineer will then indicate whether they believe the appliances to be safe to use or not, and will provide details of any work that must be done to ensure the safety of your tenants.
You will need to provide your Landlord Gas Safety Certificate to your tenants within 28 days of the service. You should also provide it to new tenants when they start their lease. Failure to do so could result in fines or criminal prosecution, so it's important to be aware of your obligations.
Even though homeowners don't need a Gas Safety Certificate to live safely, it is still an excellent idea to obtain one each year. This will not only set your mind at ease about the state of your gas and heating appliances, but help you identify any issues early. This could save you lots of time and money in the long term.
If you're thinking of selling your house, you should get a Gas Safety Certificate will prove extremely useful to potential buyers because it will show that you've taken care of your gas appliances and installations. It also speeds up the conveyancing as it doesn't require additional inspections.
Who is in need of a gas safety certificate?
As a landlord, it's your responsibility to ensure that all gas appliances and flues that are in your rental home are safe for your tenants. You'll need to schedule regular inspections by an Gas Safe registered technician to ensure that everything is functioning correctly.
After the inspection has been completed and you're ready to get an original copy of your Gas Safety Certificate to give to your tenants. This should be done before your tenants move in, or at the beginning of a new tenancy. You should keep an original copy of the document for yourself as well as documentation of any maintenance you have performed on the gas appliances in your property.
Landlords must have their properties examined for gas safety at a minimum once every 12months. This applies to all homes with gas appliances owned by the landlord, and any appliances provided to tenants.
If you are a landlord with a valid certificate of gas safety, you may face severe fines (upto PS6,000), legal action from your tenants or even criminal charges. The biggest risk, however, is that one of your tenants might be injured or killed due to malfunctioning appliances in your rental property.
Only Gas Safe engineers are qualified to conduct a Gas Safety check. Only Gas Safe engineers are certified to examine, service and test appliances and installations in a safe way. Landlords can determine whether an engineer is registered with the Gas Safe Register by checking their ID card. It is unique. Hologram.
It is rare for a tenant not to let access to the rental property in order to conduct the Gas Safety Check. However it happens. In these situations it is crucial that the landlord explain to the tenant why this is a mandatory requirement and how dangerous carbon monoxide can be if it is not detected on time.
If a tenant still won't allow an engineer to enter their home the landlord should think about giving them an Section 21 notice to end their lease. This must be accompanied by a description of the reason for being evicted for non-payment of rent or serious damage to the property.
How can I obtain an gas safety certification?
Landlords must have an official gas safety certificate to ensure their rental properties comply with the laws of the government. Some tenants are reluctant to allow a gas engineer in their residence for this reason which can be frustrating for landlords. Landlords should make sure to get the word out to their tenants that gas engineers aren't spies and only need access to complete an important, legally required piece of documentation. This will help reduce the number of tenants who refuse access to gas inspections.
Once the gas engineer has conducted the necessary checks and is sure that the appliances are safe for use they will issue an Landlord Gas Safety Record document. This document is also known as a CP12 which is a reference to CORGI Proforma 12 CORGI was previously the Council for Registered Gas Installers However, it was replaced in April 2009 by the Gas Safe Register.
The landlord must provide their current tenants with a copy of the document within 28 days (about four weeks) of the check being completed. The landlord must also provide a new tenant one upon signing the tenancy agreement. The landlord should ensure that carbon dioxide detectors are installed in each room that has fixed combustion appliances, except for gas cookers. Smoke alarms must be installed on each floor of the property. Landlords can obtain more information about these requirements, including free brochures and an Approved Code of Practice for the Management of Gas Installations and Appliances in the rental Property (Appendix 3), on the HSE website.
If a landlord is unable to gain access to the property to conduct the required gas safety checks, they can use the section 21 notice if necessary to evict tenants. A notice under section 21 is only valid if the landlord made at least three unsuccessful attempts to gain access to the property to conduct the gas safety test and kept a record of those attempts. If a landlord fails to follow the correct procedure and tries evicting their tenants unlawfully they could be accused of harassment and may be fined a significant amount.
Why do I require a gas safety certificate?
Landlords must be issued a certificate of gas safety to ensure that the house they lease is safe for tenants. Gas engineers must perform regular checks to ensure that all appliances are safe for use. This means they have to ensure that the gas pipelines and appliances are in good working condition.
This helps to prevent any fires or accidents that could result from faulty appliances, in addition to aiding in reducing the chance of carbon monoxide poisoning, which can occur if an appliance isn't properly installed or maintained. Gas Safety Certificates are important for landlords to keep current. They can be penalized if they don't.
Landlords have to prove that they have completed their annual gas safety inspections on time. You can verify your Gas Safe Register online or get a copy from the engineer that visited the property. The landlord is required to repair any appliances that are unsafe or defective immediately to ensure the safety of tenants.
Some landlords may have trouble persuading tenants to allow them access the property for gas safety inspections. This could be due to a number of reasons, such as the fact that they believe it's an invasion of privacy or that they are currently in dispute with their landlord. If landlord gas safety certificate uk is the case, it's recommended for the landlord to write an explicit letter stating the reasons why gas safety checks are necessary and what they will entail. This can be sent by recorded delivery and will give the tenant 14 days to reply.
If the tenant refuses to give access to the landlord, they must take further steps. This could include the issue of a Section 21 Notice or applying to court for an Injunction. This is a serious measure that should only be taken only as a last option.