What happens during a gas safety inspection?

When renting a out property there are many individual pieces of legislation that must be followed to ensure that the rental property is safe and fit for human habitation. One such legal requirement is laid down by The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GSIUR) which requires that all gas appliances, fittings, chimneys and flues in a rental property are safe and working efficiently.

Duties as a landlord

Under the GSIUR a landlord has 3 main legal duties to comply with:

• All gas appliances and flues must be inspected by a suitably qualified Gas Safety registered Engineer. Typically, this would be an annual inspection, but the gas safety engineer might recommend a shorter inspection period.
• Provide the Landlord Gas safety Record to the tenant upon receipt from the engineer after the inspection
• Maintain all gas pipework, appliances, chimneys and flues in a safe working condition and carry out any repairs or replacements as required

What needs to be checked in a gas safety inspection?

The HSE state that any permanent and portable gas appliances and flues in the rental property which are owned by the landlord need to be inspected. This will include gas heaters, boilers, hobs, ovens and any other equipment powered by gas. If any of the appliances are owned by the tenant then the landlord is only obliged to inspect and maintain any pipework feeding the equipment and any flue which forms part of the property.

What Happens in a Gas safety Check?

The gas safety engineer will check the following when carrying out the annual gas safety checks:

• Gas meter for any leaks and tightness of fittings
• Gas boiler: Typically, the engineer will turn on the boiler for around 10 minutes and then check that it is burning properly by carrying out a flue gas analysis. Any adjustments required to the burner controls will typically be made instantly
• Gas hob and ovens will be tested for correct burning and any adjustments made if possible
• Gas related safety devices will be checked to ensure they are working properly
• All flues and chimney are free from blockages and have good airflow
• Each appliance will be checked for overall condition, physical stability and all pipework connections will be leak tested
• The room in which the appliance is located has good ventilation

Once the inspection is complete the gas engineer will fill out a landlord gas safety record (CP12) and supply that to the landlord. This certificate will detail the results of all the tests as well as the date of the inspection, the address at which the inspection was carried out, the Name, ID number and signature of the Gas Safe Registered engineer, the name of the landlord or letting agent, the location of each appliance checked, any actions or issues that need addressing, a statement that the inspection was carried out correctly and in compliance with legislation and also the date of the next inspection.

The landlord should retain a copy for themselves but is legally required to give a copy of the certificate to the tenant for their records which should be stored at the premises. This must be done within 28 days of the inspection.

Gas safety is very important as the potential for harm is pretty severe should something go wrong, complying with the GSIUR and ensuring that any appliances are properly serviced and maintained will minimise this risk.