Gas Safety Certificate For Landlords
It is important to remember that it is only landlords that are accountable for gas safety inspections. This is true for landlords who own residential properties and those who lease rooms or holiday homes.
Before they can put their homes on the market, landlords must be able prove that the pipes and appliances in their homes are safe. This can be accomplished with an official gas safety certificate.
What is a gas safety certificate?
If you're a landlord or homeowner, you must to adhere to the law when it comes 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 per year. What is a gas safety 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 inspection of all the gas appliances and flues in your rental home. The engineer will also test that the ventilation passages of your properties are clear to prevent dangerous carbon monoxide build-up.
The Gas Safe Certificate will detail the results of your yearly inspection. The Gas Safe Certificate will outline the results of your yearly inspection. It will list all gas appliances and installations that were inspected as well as their model, make and model, as well as the location of your property. The engineer will also state whether they believe the appliances to be safe for use or not, and will give details of any work that must 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 start of their tenure. If you don't comply you could face fines or criminal prosecution.
Although homeowners do not need an Gas Safety Certificate, it's nevertheless a good idea to have one every year. This will not only give you peace of mind about the state of your heating and gas appliances, but it can also help you catch any issues before they become serious. This could save you time and money in the long-term.
If you're considering selling your home and are thinking of selling it, 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. It will also speed the process of selling as it does not require any additional checks.
Who needs an attestation of gas safety?
As a landlord, it's your responsibility to make sure that any gas appliances or flues within your rental property are safe for your tenants. You'll need to arrange for regular inspections from a Gas Safe registered technician to make sure that everything is operating properly.
You'll need to give your tenants a copy of the Gas Safety Certificate once the inspection has been completed. It is recommended to do this before your tenants move into the property or at the start of a new lease. It is also recommended to keep the certificate for yourself along with any records of maintenance carried out on your property's gas appliances.
Landlords are required to have their properties examined for gas safety at minimum once every 12months. This includes both the landlord's own gas appliances and any appliances that are provided to tenants.
If you are a landlord who does not have a valid gas certificate safety, you could be subject to heavy penalties (upto PS6,000) or legal action from your tenants or even criminal charges. The most significant risk, however, is that one of your tenants might be injured or killed due to faulty appliances in your rental property.
The only ones who are qualified to conduct a Gas Safety Check are Gas Safe engineers. Only Gas Safe professionals are trained to examine and service appliances and installations in a safe manner. Landlords can verify an engineer's Gas Safe Register registration by looking for their ID card, with a unique hologram on it.
Although it's not common for tenants to deny access to their rental property in order to permit an Gas Safety Check, it is possible to do so. In these instances it is crucial that the landlord explains to the tenant why this is a legal obligation and how harmful carbon monoxide could be if not detected in time.
If the tenant is refusing to allow an engineer in, then the landlord may be tempted to issue the option of a Section 21 notice that ends their lease. This should be accompanied by an explanation of the reason they're being forced out in the first place, such as not paying rent or significant damage to the property.
How do I obtain an gas safety certification?
Landlords require a gas safety certificate to ensure that their rental properties meet the laws of the government. Some tenants will not allow a gas engineer to enter their house for this purpose and this can be a source of frustration for landlords. Landlords must ensure that tenants know that gas engineers aren't spying and only need to access their homes to complete a legally required document. This will reduce the number of tenants who refuse to grant access to gas inspections.
After the gas engineer has conducted the necessary checks and is satisfied that the appliances are safe for use they will issue an Landlord Gas Safety Record document. It 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 give copies to their current tenants within 28 days (about 4 weeks) after the inspection is completed. A new tenant will be provided with one when they sign the tenancy agreement. 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 connected to every storey of the property. Landlords can get more information about these requirements, including free brochures and an Approved Code of Practice for the management of gas Installations and Appliances in a Rental Property (Appendix 3), on the HSE website.
If a landlord is not able to gain access to their property in order to carry out the necessary gas security checks, they can use a section 21 notice to evict the tenants, if appropriate. It is important to keep in mind, however, that a section 21 notice is only served when the landlord has made at least three attempts to gain entry to conduct the gas safety inspection and has maintained records of the attempts. If the landlord does not follow the correct procedure and tries evicting tenants without a valid reason and is accused of harassment and face heavy fines.
What is the reason I need a gas safety certificate?
Landlords must have a gas safety certificate to ensure the property they lease out is safe for tenants to reside in. This means that they must have regular checks performed by a registered gas engineer to ensure that any appliances are safe to use. Also, they should ensure that the gas pipework, appliances and flues are all in good working order.
This will help avoid any fires, accidents, or carbon monoxide poisoning that can result from faulty equipment. It is crucial that landlords keep current with their Gas Safety certificates, as they can be fined for Mkgassafety.Co.uk failing to do so.
Landlords need to prove that their annual gas safety test was completed on time. You can check your Gas Safe Register online or request a copy from the engineer that visited the property. The landlord is required to repair any appliances that are unsafe or malfunctioning immediately to ensure the safety of tenants.
Some landlords have difficulty convincing their tenants to grant them access to their property in order to conduct gas safety inspections. This can be due to a variety of reasons, such as the fact that they believe it's a violation of privacy or that they are currently in a dispute with their landlord. It is recommended that the landlord write a letter in which he explains the reason why the gas safety check is needed and what it will entail. This letter can be delivered by recorded delivery and the tenant should be given 14 days to respond.
If the tenant continues to refuse to give access to the landlord, they should consider taking additional steps. This could involve writing a Section 21 notice or applying to the court for an injunction to compel them to grant access. But, this is a serious step which should be used only as a last option.