May 12, 2010
Landlords must ensure their properties and appliances are fully compliant with gas safety legislation after research shows an alarming number are gambling with tenants’ lives.
According to Landlord Assist, a nationwide tenant eviction and rent collection service, 36% of landlords surveyed are producing out-of-date gas certificates, while 26% of tenants have never been given a safety certificate to begin with.
“Landlords must ensure that they have up-to-date gas safety certificates on all their properties and must ensure that the engineer they use is on the Gas Safety Register,” warned Graham Kinnear, Managing Director of Landlord Assist.
“Failure to adhere to the legislation not only puts tenants’ lives at risk but is also an offence punishable by imprisonment.”
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 18 people died and 310 were injured in the UK last year from gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning.
To avoid legal difficulties, landlords must provide tenants with a copy of certificates within 28 days of an inspection and, in addition, are obliged to visually check their properties when a tenant has left, to ensure any appliances left behind are either removed or commissioned for inspection.
“With the new Corporate Manslaughter legislation now fully in force, courts are likely to take a very dim view of landlords who fail to adhere to the legislation,” added Stephen Parry, Commercial Director of Landlord Assist.
HSE advice states that if a landlord suspects an appliance could have been tampered with, or there is a possibility of vandalism while a property remains empty, then a new gas safety certificate should be sought before any subsequent tenants move in.
