Landlord Safety Checks on Gas and Electric

Landlord safety checks should be carried out by a certified and registered engineer. To be able to install or do maintenance involving natural gas, an engineer must be on the Gas Safety Register, and an electrician should be registered with one of the five governing bodies, which are;

•             CORGI

•             NICEIC

•             NAPIT

•             British Standards Institution

•             ELECSA

 

These are available from big firms or individual contractors who will be authorized by law to carry out the inspections. They will check to see that all electric and gas appliances are working properly and are in a safe enough condition for the tenants to be using them. To ensure that the engineer you contact is qualified and certified, it is advisable that you work with bigger firms. However going to a private contractor could save you money so be sure to check their credentials before the safety check begins.

The most important things for a landlord to check are the gas and electric. Electrical faults are a major cause of house fires and if gas leaks, it can obviously be harmful, and even deadly.  As a result of the dangers, the law is very strict when it comes to landlord safety checks on gas and electric supplies and appliances. Failure to do these checks can result in severe punishment, such as fines and in extreme cases even prison.

In the United Kingdom, the Consumer Protection Act 1987 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 state that before any rental house is ready for tenants to rent, it should pass the basic electricity and gas checks by certified engineers. It is also generally considered the landlords responsibility (unless agreed otherwise) that gas and electrical appliances are supplied and maintained by the landlord. Which ones are and are not included will depend on your tenancy agreement, but they should include, a gas or electric cooker, a washing machine, a fridge and a freezer.

When to do Landlord Safety Checks

By law there should be no longer than twelve months between safety checks however every six months would be even better. If the property has a relatively high turnover of tenants, it might be a good idea to get a safety check done before each new tenant arrives.  On top of that, any complaints of malfunctions, especially concerning gas or electric safety, should be repaired by qualified engineers in as short a time as possible.