Gas Safety Certificate For Landlords
It is important to remember that it's only landlords who have responsibility for gas safety checks. This applies to both landlords who own residential properties and those who lease rooms or holiday homes.
Before they can put their homes on the market landlords must show that the plumbing and appliances in their homes are safe. Gas safety certificates can help you achieve this.
What is a Gas Safety Certification?
If you're a tenant or homeowner, you must to follow the law in regards to keeping your gas appliances and installations in good working order. This is why every property owner should be issued a gas safety certificate at least once per year. What is a gas certificate? And who needs 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 out a full examination of all gas appliances and flues in your rental home. The engineer will also test that the ventilation passages of your property are free of obstruction to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide accumulating in your home.
The Gas Safe Certificate will detail the results of your yearly inspection. The Gas Safe Certificate will provide the results of your annual inspection. It will list all the gas appliances and installations that were examined, along with their make, model and location within your property. The engineer will state if the appliances are safe to use and will provide information on any work required to ensure the safety 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 provide it to any new tenants at the start of their tenancy. Failure to do this could result in fines or criminal prosecution, so it's vital to take your responsibilities seriously.
While homeowners don't require to have a Gas Safety Certificate, it's still a good idea to have one every year. Not only will this give you peace of mind regarding the health of your heating and gas appliances, but it could also help you catch any issues before they become serious. This could save you money and time in the long run.
Gas Safety Certificates can be extremely useful to prospective buyers when you're selling your home. They will show that you've taken good care of all gas appliances and installations. In addition, it can expedite the process of conveyancing as it will not require additional inspections.
Who is in need of a gas safety certificate?
As a landlord it is your obligation to ensure that all flues and gas appliances in your rental property are safe. This means you'll have to arrange regular inspections by an Gas Safe registered engineer to ensure everything is working properly.
Once the inspection is complete, you'll need the original copy of your Gas Safety Certificate to give to your tenants. Ideally, this will be completed prior to when your tenants move in or at the beginning of any new tenancies. You should also keep a copy of the certificate for yourself and any documentation of maintenance carried out on your property's gas appliances.
Landlords are legally required to have their properties checked for gas safety at a minimum every 12 months. landlord gas safety certificate uk includes the landlord's gas appliances and any appliances provided to tenants.
If you're a landlord who doesn't have a valid gas safety certificate and you're not licensed, you could be subject to huge penalties (up to a total of PS6,000) and court actions from your tenants or an indictment. The greatest chance is that a tenant may be injured or even killed by faulty appliances at your rental property.
The only ones who are qualified to conduct the Gas Safety Check are Gas Safe engineers. Only Gas Safe professionals are trained to inspect, service and test appliances and installations safely. Landlords can check an engineer's Gas Safe Register registration by looking for their ID card, that has an exclusive hologram.
Although it's not common for a tenant to deny access to their rental property to permit a Gas Safety Check, it can happen. In these cases, it's important for the landlord to explain to them the legal requirement and that carbon monoxide could be extremely hazardous if not discovered at the right time.
If gas safety certificate uk is still refusing to let an engineer into their home, the landlord should consider giving them the Section 21 notice to end their tenure. This should be followed by an explanation of why they're being removed. For example the non-payment of rent, or severe damage to the property.
How do I obtain an gas safety certificate?
A gas safety certificate is essential for landlords to prove that their rented properties meet the requirements of the government. However, some tenants may not allow gas engineers into their homes for this purpose which is a source of frustration and unfair for landlords. Landlords must try to communicate to their tenants that gas technicians are not spies and only need access to complete an important legally required piece of documentation. This will decrease the number of tenants who refuse access to gas inspections.
The Landlord Gas Safety Record is issued by the gas engineer once he has completed the necessary checks. It is also referred to as a CP12 which is a reference to CORGI Proforma 12. CORGI used to be the Council for Registered Gas Installers However, it was replaced in April 2009 by the Gas Safe Register.
The landlord is required to provide their existing tenants with a copy of the document within 28 days (about four weeks) of the check being completed. They must also give an applicant a copy on signing the lease. The landlord should ensure that a carbon dioxide detector has been installed in each room that has fixed combustion appliances, excluding gas cookers. Smoke alarms should be installed on every floor of the property. The HSE website provides more information for landlords, such as free leaflets and an Approved Code of Practice to Manage Gas Installations and Appliances within a rental Property.
If a landlord cannot gain access to their property to conduct the required gas security checks, they can make use of a section 21 notice to remove tenants, if necessary. A section 21 notice is only valid if the landlord made at least three unsuccessful attempts to gain access to the property for the gas safety test and kept records of the attempts. If the landlord does not follow the correct procedure and attempts to evict their tenants unlawfully they could be found guilty of harassing and face heavy fines.
Why do I require a gas safety certification?
Landlords must be issued an approved certificate of gas safety to ensure that the home they rent is safe for tenants. This means they have to regularly check with an approved gas engineer to make sure that any appliances are safe to use. This means they have to make sure that the gas pipework and appliances are in good working condition.
This will help to avoid any fires, accidents, or carbon monoxide poisoning which could be caused by faulty equipment. Gas Safety Certificates are important for landlords to keep current. They could be penalized for not doing so.
Landlords need to be able demonstrate that they carried out their annual gas safety checks in a timely manner. They can prove this by checking their Gas Safe register online, or by obtaining the most recent certificate from the person who visited the property. The landlord must fix any appliances that are dangerous or malfunctioning immediately to ensure the safety of tenants.
Some landlords may have difficulty persuading tenants to allow them access the property for gas safety checks. This can be due to a variety of reasons, such as the fact that they feel it's an invasion of privacy or they are currently in a dispute with their landlord. It's an ideal idea to request the landlord write a letter in which he explains why a gas safety check is necessary and what it will entail. The letter can be sent via recorded delivery and should give the tenant 14 days to respond.
If the tenant does not give access to the landlord, they must take further steps. This could be a Section 21 Notice or applying to the court for an Injunction. However, this is a very serious option that should only be considered as an option last resort.