There are over five million privately rented properties in the UK, and new research has claimed that gas safety is a ‘postcode lottery’ when it comes to these dwellings. Additionally, it’s not just property owners who are in the firing line – more than one in five small business energy users don’t know that failing to have an annual gas safety check could invalidate their insurance.
Gas safety is obviously a deadly serious issue. Poorly fitted and maintained gas appliances can cause fuel leaks, fires and even explosions, as well as carbon monoxide poisoning. As a result, landlords who fail to comply with gas safety regulations can face tens of thousands of pounds in fines.
So, are the UK’s gas safety rules simply too lax
Is the UK doing enough on gas safety?
Gas safety regulations differ from location to location. The Landlord Licence Scheme requires landlords to prove they’ve met the legal requirement for an annual gas safety check in all their properties before they can let them. However, just 40 local authorities across the country currently operate a Landlord Licence Scheme in their area.
It’s this anomaly that means gas safety in the UK is often a ‘postcode lottery’. Most – not all – landlords know what’s required to keep their properties and their tenants safe, but there are still many premises at the mercy of negligent landlords who are carrying out suspect DIY heating repairs or skipping annual checks altogether. What’s more, with 7,500 unregistered gas fitters responsible for 250,000 illegal gas jobs in the UK every year, rogue traders are still very much a problem nationwide.
With the current rules and regulations far from comprehensive, it doesn’t help there’s also a lack of awareness amongst numerous energy users. For example, many small businesses that are using mains gas are failing to stay on top of gas safety in the workplace. In fact, a recent survey found that 23% had no idea that their gas appliances need to be checked on an annual basis – and a worrying 18% haven’t had a visit from a Gas Safe Engineer in the last year.
What do the gas safety regulations actually mean for landlords?
What should landlords do to keep their properties safe? Business gas supplier Flogas Energy offers the following:
Gas appliances and systems need to be properly maintained …
A Gas Safe registered engineer should always be employed for servicing and repairs. The manufacturer’s instructions should outline how often appliances should be serviced, but if these are not available then the Gas Safe Register recommends servicing yearly. Appliances owned by tenants don’t fall within this remit, and neither do flues that connect only to tenants’ appliances.
Annual gas safety check 
A full gas safety check - carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer – should be undertaken annually. You don’t need to organise checks for any of your tenants’ own appliances (or flues that connect only to appliances owned by the tenant).
Keep records (and provide copies)
A Landlord Gas Safety form should be used when gas safety checks have been carried out. As well as keeping a copy for yourself (for at least two years, or until a further two checks have been carried out), you must provide your tenants with their own copy within 28 days. For new tenants, it’s at the start of the tenancy, and for any rental periods shorter than 28 days, simply display the record in a prominent place in the property.
Is there anything new in 2018?
From April 2018, landlords can arrange their annual gas safety check up to two months in advance, without impacting on their existing certificate’s expiry date. You can now arrange a new check any time within 10-12 months of the last one – and when the old certificate runs out, the new one will simply run for the next year.
If you need to carry out a gas safety check less than 10 months (or more than 12 months) after the last one, the expiry date will be a year from when your new certificate is issued. It’s worth noting that landlords who make use of the new rules must keep their gas safety records until two further gas safety checks have been carried out.
The good thing is that this new ‘MOT-style’ approach allows landlords to arrange a new check in plenty of time before the old one expires (without shortening its lifespan) – instead of rushing to book a visit from a Gas Safe engineer just before the deadline. It also makes it easier to keep track of renewal dates, as these stay the same each year.
Because of this, the new 2018 rules have been welcomed by landlords. They’re a way to uphold the very highest gas safety standards – whilst making the checks process more flexible and straightforward all round.
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