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19 June 2022
KNOW YOUR GAS SAFE RESPONSIBILITIES
If you are planning on doing either of the above, you’re obliged to get a Landlords Gas Safety Certificate for all gas appliances in the property.
The term ‘landlord’ is most commonly associated with owners of properties that are rented out to tenants on a long-term basis as their main dwelling. However, when it comes to duties under gas safe regulations, the term ‘landlord’ has a wider meaning than some realise. A landlord is anyone who rents out a property they own for a period shorter than seven years.
You may not realise, but you are deemed a Landlord if you rent your home in any of the below scenarios:
It has become increasing popular for homeowners to make extra cash using platforms such as Airbnb to rent out their property whilst away on holiday. At a time when people will be taking in foreign exchange students over the summer it’s important they remember that they are deemed a landlord in the context of gas safety regulations and are required to meet their duties towards gas safety.
As a Landlord, If you do not get a Gas Safety Certificate and follow the requirements of the Gas Safe Register you will be at risk of a fine or in the event of a gas appliance being found unsafe, prosecution.
The duties to Landlords are summarised by the Gas Safe Register as:
1. Maintenance
Pipework, appliances and flues must be maintained in a safe condition. Gas appliances should be serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. If these are not available, it is recommended that they are serviced every 12 months unless advised otherwise by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Landlords will need to be able to show, if asked, that regular maintenance of the flues and appliances and any necessary repairs have been undertaken.
2. Annual gas safety checks
A gas safety check will make sure gas fittings and appliances are safe to use and must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. An annual gas safety check must be carried out on every gas appliance and its associated flue in your rental property, even if you only rent out one or two rooms in your home.
New regulations introduced in April 2018 allow a landlord to arrange for a gas safety check to be carried out any time from 10 – 12 calendar months after the previous check whilst still preserving the original check expiry date. Where a gas safety check is carried out less than 10 months or more than 12 months after the previous gas safety check this will have the effect of ‘resetting the clock’ and the new deadline date will now be 12 months from the date of this latest gas safety check.
3. Record
A record of the gas safety check must be provided to tenants within 28 days of the check being completed or to new tenants before they move in. If a property or room is hired out for less than 28 days at a time, it is permissible to display a copy of the current Landlords Gas Safety Record in a prominent position within the property so a copy does not need to be given to every new occupier. Landlords must keep copies of the record for two years. If a landlord has benefited from the new regulations allowing flexibility in timing of gas safety checks, records must be kept until two further gas safety checks have been carried out.
Further information
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