Are You a Landlord? What You Should Know about Your Responsibilities for Gas Safety

If you are a landlord, you know very well that you have an array of responsibilities, especially in regard to your tenants’ safety. Your duties are all obligated by law, and it applies to a wide selection of accommodations which are occupied by tenants under a licence or lease. So, what do you need to know about your responsibilities as a landlord, particularly with gas safety? Here’s your guide to your gas safety responsibilities: what you should know.

Landlord classifications

A landlord is not just someone who is in charge of residential or domestic premises that are rented out. There are different classifications of landlords. For instance, you are a landlord when you are renting out residential property in the private sector, as a housing association, as a co-operative, or as a hostel. You are also a landlord if you are letting rooms such as bed-sit accommodation or rooms in private residences, or if you are letting rooms in bed and breakfasts and hotels. You are also a landlord if you rent out holiday accommodations, including cottages, chalets, caravans, boats, and flats.

Your landlord responsibilities in gas safety

• Maintenance

According to the Gas Safe Register, you need to make sure to properly maintain your gas appliances, pipework, and flues or chimneys. You need to have your gas appliances serviced according to the instructions of the manufacturer. If instructions from the manufacturer are not available, you should have your gas appliances serviced annually. If you have tenants who own gas appliances, this does not fall under your responsibility, but the flue and pipework which connect the device remain your responsibility.

• Checks for safety

As a landlord, you are also responsible for having your flues and gas appliances checked for safety every year by a qualified engineer. In new rules launched in April of this year, you can arrange for a safety check at any time between 10 to 12 months from the previous inspection, and the original expiry date of the examination will be valid. If you carry out a check fewer than ten months or more than a year after the previous one, the clock will be ‘reset’ and the new date of your deadline for checks will be a year from the last inspection.

• Keeping records

You will also need to have a record of the yearly safety check, and you should provide this to your current tenants in the first 28 days after the inspection is complete. You should also give the record to new tenants. If the tenant is renting for fewer than 28 days, you can have a copy of the current document prominently displayed in the dwelling. Keep your records for at least 24 months.

One more thing: if you want to ensure enhanced safety for your tenants, let them know where the gas valve is and how to turn it off. You should also let them know what they can do if there is ever a gas emergency. Lastly, make sure the engineer you choose to carry out the work is Gas Safe Registered, such as a commercial gas engineer in London from Gasway Commercial. It is the most feasible way to ensure the complete gas safety of your property – and the safety of your tenants at all times.