Gas Safety Certificate For Landlords
It is important to remember that only landlords are responsible for the gas safety inspection. This applies to both landlords who own residential properties and those who lease rooms or holiday homes.
Landlords need to prove that the pipework as well as the flues, appliances and appliances in their homes are safe prior to putting them up for sale. This can be accomplished by obtaining a gas safety certificate.
What is a gas safety certificate?
If you're a landlord or homeowner, you need to follow the law when it comes to keeping your gas appliances and installation in good functioning order. That's why every property owner needs to be issued a gas safety certificate at least once per year. What is a gas certificate? Who needs one?
A Gas Safe Certificate, also called a Landlord Gas Safety Record, is an official document issued by a qualified Gas Safe engineer after carrying an exhaustive examination of all gas appliances and flues in your rental property. The engineer will also check that all ventilation passages are in good working order in your rental property to avoid the risk of carbon dioxide build-up.
The Gas Safe Certificate will provide you with the results of your annual inspection. The Gas Safe Certificate will outline the results of your yearly inspection. It will list all gas appliances and installations that were examined as well as their model, make and model as well as their location within your home. The engineer will then indicate whether they found the appliances to be safe to use or not, and give details of the work that needs to be done to ensure the security of your tenants.
When you receive your Landlord Gas Safety Certificate, you'll have to provide it to your current tenants within 28 days of receiving the service and give it to any new tenants at the beginning of their tenure. If you don't comply with the requirements, you could be subject to charges or fines.
While homeowners don't require an Gas Safety Certificate, it's still a good idea to have one on an annual basis. This will not only put your mind at rest about the state of your gas and heating appliances, but can help you identify any issues in advance. This can save you lots of money and stress in the long in the long.
Gas Safety Certificates can be extremely useful for potential buyers when selling your home. They can prove that you have taken care of all your gas appliances and installations. It will also speed the process of selling as it does not require any additional inspections.
Who is in need of an attestation of gas safety?
As a landlord, it's your responsibility to ensure that all gas appliances and flues in your rental property are safe. You'll need to schedule regular inspections by a Gas Safe registered technician to ensure that everything is working properly.
You'll need to provide your tenants a copy the Gas Safety Certificate once the inspection is completed. This should be done ideally prior to the time your tenants move in, or at the beginning of any new tenancy. You should keep an original copy for yourself and keep documentation of any maintenance you have done to the gas appliances in your home.
Landlords are legally obliged to have their homes inspected for gas safety at a minimum every 12 months. This includes all properties with gas appliances owned by the landlord, and any appliances provided for use by tenants.
If you are a landlord who does not have a valid gas certificate safety, you could face massive penalties (upto PS6,000), legal action from your tenants, or even criminal charges. The biggest chance is that a tenant could be injured or even killed by faulty appliances in your rental property.
Only Gas Safe engineers are qualified to perform the Gas Safety check. They are the only ones who have been properly trained to examine, service and test gas appliances and installations. Landlords can verify if an engineer is registered with the Gas Safe Register by checking their ID card. It has a unique Hologram.
It is very rare for a tenant to permit access to the rental property in order to perform an Gas Safety Check. However it can happen. In these instances it is crucial that the landlord explain to the tenant the reason why it is a obligation and how harmful carbon monoxide could 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 serving them with the Section 21 notice to end their lease. This should be followed by an explanation of why they're being removed. For example rent arrears, non-payment or serious damage to the property.
How do I obtain a gas safety certificate?
Landlords must have an official gas safety certificate to ensure that their rental properties comply with government regulations. Some tenants are reluctant to allow a gas engineer to enter their residence for this reason, which is frustrating for landlords. Landlords need to make sure tenants know that gas engineers aren't spies, and they only need access to their homes in order in order to fill out a legally required document. This will reduce the number tenants who are unable to access gas inspections.
The Landlord Gas Safety Record is issued by the gas engineer after he has completed the necessary checks. This is also known as a CP12 which is a reference to CORGI Proforma 12 CORGI was the Council for Registered Gas Installers until it was replaced by the Gas Safe Register in April 2009.
landlord gas safety certificates must provide their current tenants with a copy of this document within 28 days (about four weeks) of the check being completed. They must also give an applicant an original copy when they sign the lease. The landlord should also ensure that a carbon monoxide detector has been installed in each room used for living accommodation which has fixed combustion appliances (excluding gas cookers) and that smoke alarms are installed to every storey of the property. The HSE website has more information for landlords, such as free leaflets as well as an Approved Code of Practice to Manage Gas Installations and Appliances within a Rental Property.
If a landlord is not able to gain access to their property in order to carry out the necessary gas safety checks, they may use a section 21 notice to expel tenants, if necessary. It is important to remember that a notice under section 21 is only served if the landlord has attempted at least three times to gain entry for the gas safety check and has maintained records of the attempts. If the landlord fails to follow the proper procedure and attempts to evict their tenants unlawfully and is accused of harassment and could face heavy fines.
Why do I need a gas safety certification?
Landlords need to have a gas safety certificate to ensure the property they rent out is safe for tenants to reside in. This means they have to have regular checks performed by a registered gas engineer to make sure that any appliances are safe to use. Also, they must ensure that the gas pipework, appliances, and flues are all in good working order.
This will help to prevent any accidents, fires or carbon monoxide poisoning that could be caused by faulty equipment. It is crucial that landlords keep up-to-date with their Gas Safety certificates, as they can be fined if they don't.
Landlords need to be able demonstrate that they carried out their annual gas safety inspections on time. You can check your Gas Safe Register online or get a copy from the engineer who visited the property. If any of the appliances are identified as being dangerous or faulty, the landlord must get them repaired as soon as possible to protect the health and safety of the tenants.
Some landlords are unable to convince their tenants to allow them access to their property in order to conduct gas safety checks. It may be because they feel that it violates their privacy or are fighting with their landlord. It is a good idea to have the landlord write a letter which he explains why a gas safety check is necessary and what it will entail. This letter can be sent via recorded delivery and should give the tenant 14 days to respond.
If the tenant is unwilling to allow access to the landlord, they must take further action. This might include writing a Section 21 notice or applying to the court for an injunction to force them to allow access. This is a serious measure which should only be used in the last option.