Gas Safety Certificate For Landlords
It is important to keep in mind that only landlords are accountable for the gas safety check. This is true for landlords who own residential properties and those who lease rooms or other holiday accommodation.
Landlords need to prove that the pipework and flues, as well as appliances, within their properties are safe before they put them on the market. Gas safety certificates can help you to achieve this.
What is a Gas Safety Certificate?
If you're a tenant or homeowner, you have to adhere to the law in regards to keeping your gas appliances and installations in good functioning order. This is why every property owner must be issued a gas safety certificate at least once per year. What exactly is a gas safety certificate? And who is the person who requires one?
A Gas Safe Certificate, also known as a Landlord Gas Safety Record, is an official document that is issued by a certified Gas Safe engineer after carrying an exhaustive inspection of all gas appliances and flues that are in your rental home. The engineer will also check that all ventilation passages are clear in your rental properties to avoid the risk of carbon dioxide build-up.
The MK Gas Safety Safe Certificate will detail the results of your annual inspection. It will list all the gas appliances that were inspected and installations, as well as their model, make, and location in your property. The engineer will then indicate whether they believe the appliances to be safe for use or not, and detail the work that needs to be completed to ensure the security 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 once they begin their tenure. If you don't follow the rules you could face fines or criminal prosecution.
Although homeowners don't require a Gas Safety Certificate to live safely, it is still a good thing to get one each year. This will not only give you peace of mind regarding the health of your gas and heating appliances, but it could aid in identifying any problems early on. This can save you lots of money and hassle in the long term.
If you're planning to sell your home, you should get a Gas Safety Certificate will prove an invaluable asset to prospective buyers since it can prove that you've taken care of your gas appliances and installations. Additionally, it will speed up the conveyancing process as it will not require any additional checks.
Who is in need of an attestation of gas safety?
As a landlord it is your duty to ensure that all gas appliances and flues within your rental property are safe. This means that you'll need to schedule regular inspections by an Gas Safe registered engineer to ensure everything is working properly.
After the inspection has been completed You'll need an original copy of your Gas Safety Certificate to give to your tenants. Ideally, this will be completed prior to when your new tenants move in, or at the start of any new tenancies. You should keep an original copy of the document for yourself and keep records of any maintenance done to the gas appliances in your home.
Landlords are legally required to have their properties checked for gas safety at least every 12 months. This includes both the landlord's personal gas appliances and any appliances provided to tenants.
If you are a landlord who does not have a valid certificate of gas safety, you could be subject to massive penalties (upto PS6,000) and legal actions from your tenants, or even criminal charges. The most significant risk is that one of your tenants could be injured or killed due to malfunctioning appliances in your rental property.
The only person who are qualified to conduct an Gas Safety Check are Gas Safe engineers. Only Gas Safe professionals are trained to examine, service and test appliances and installations safely. Landlords can check the engineer's Gas Safe Register registration by looking at their ID card, which has an exclusive hologram.
Although it's not common for tenants to deny access to their rental property to allow the Gas Safety Check, it could happen. In these situations, it is important that the landlord explains to the tenant why this is a legal obligation and how harmful carbon monoxide could be if not detected on time.
If the tenant is refusing to allow an engineer into the property, then the landlord may decide to issue the option of a Section 21 notice that ends their tenure. This should be accompanied with an explanation as to why they're being removed. For instance rent arrears, non-payment or serious damage to the property.
How do I obtain a gas safety certification?
Landlords require a gas safety certificate to ensure their rental properties meet the laws of the government. Some tenants will not let a gas engineer into their home for this purpose and this can be a source of frustration for landlords. Landlords should ensure tenants know that gas engineers aren't spying, and they only need to enter their homes to sign a legally-required document. This will reduce the number tenants who refuse access to gas inspections.
Once the gas engineer has conducted the necessary checks and is confident that all appliances are safe to use they will issue the Landlord Gas Safety Record document. This document is also known as a CP12 which stands for CORGI Proforma 12 CORGI was the Council for Registered Gas Installers until it was replaced by the Gas Safe Register in April 2009.
The landlord must provide their existing tenants with a copy of the document within 28 days (about four weeks) of the time the check is completed and give the new tenant an original copy when they sign the lease. The landlord must also ensure that a carbon monoxide detector is equipped in each room used as living space that has fixed combustion appliances (excluding gas cookers) and that smoke alarms are installed to each floor of the property. Landlords can obtain more information about these requirements, including free leaflets 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 not able to gain access to their property to conduct the required gas safety checks, they can make use of the section 21 notice if necessary to evict tenants. It is important to note, however, that a section 21 notice can only be served if the landlord has had at least three attempts to gain entry to conduct the gas safety inspection and has maintained records of the attempts. If a landlord does not follow the correct procedure for entry and attempts to evict their tenants by illegal means, they may be found guilty of harassment and could face substantial fines from regulatory bodies.
Why do I require a gas safety certificate?
Landlords need to have an approved certificate of gas safety to ensure that the home they rent is safe for tenants. This means that they must regularly check with an accredited gas engineer to ensure that the appliances are safe to use. It also means that they must make sure the gas pipes, appliances and flues are in good working order.
This will help to avoid any fires, accidents or carbon monoxide poisoning which could be caused by defective equipment. Gas Safety Certificates are important for landlords to keep current. They could be fined when they don't.
Landlords must be able to demonstrate that their annual gas safety test has been carried out in a timely manner. This can be done by checking their Gas Safe register online, or by getting an original copy of the most recent certificate from the engineer who visited the property. If any of the appliances are identified as dangerous or defective, the landlord must get them repaired as soon as possible to protect the health and safety of the tenants.
Some landlords have trouble convincing their tenants to grant access to the property in order to conduct gas safety inspections. It could be because they feel that it would violate their privacy, or are in a dispute with their landlord. If this is the case, it is a good idea to ask the landlord to write an explicit letter stating the reasons why gas safety checks are necessary and what they will entail. This letter can be sent via recorded delivery and should give the tenant 14 days to reply.
If the tenant is unwilling to allow access to the landlord, they must take further action. This could include drafting a Section 21 notice or applying to the court for an injunction to force the tenant to allow access. However, this is a serious step which should be used only as an option last resort.