Preparing for a Gas Safe Inspection: A Guide to the Process

Annual gas-safe inspection is mandatory for all rented properties in the UK. Landlords are responsible for conducting this inspection, which is an important step that leads to the issuance of a gas safety certificate, also known as gas safety records or CP 12.

Gas has become a compulsory part of every household, industry, and commercial unit. The increasing dependency on gas is mainly because it is economical and environment-friendly. It is also considered the safest energy source compared to other fuels like oil and coal. Despite these plus points, a certain level of risk is involved in using gas as an energy source. 

The risks associated with gas are fire, explosion, and carbon monoxide poisoning. Gas safety regulations were introduced in the UK under the title "Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 to overcome these threats. One of the provisions of this law binds the landlords to conduct annual gas safety inspections and get a valid gas safety certificate for their rented properties.

Understanding Gas Safety Regulations

To ensure the safety of the end users, the UK Government introduced gas safety regulations under the title "Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.” These regulations were further amended in 2018 under the title “Gas Safety (Installation and Use) (Amendments) Regulations 2018.

Here are some of the main requirements of the gas safety regulations:

• The law aims to protect people and properties from the potential risks associated with the usage of gas for domestic and non-domestic properties.
• Landlords are responsible for the safety of their tenants against gas hazards.
• Landlords are required to arrange an inspection of all gas appliances, allied pipework, and installations for gas safety. This includes boilers and flues.
• This inspection can only be conducted by the gas-safe registered engineers.
• The engineer will produce a gas safety certificate upon completing the gas safety inspection.
• The gas safety certificate is valid for one year and needs to be renewed annually. 
• Landlords must provide the current tenants a copy of the gas safety certificate within 48 hours of issuance. They must also provide new tenants a copy of this certificate within 28 days. 

Gas Safe Register 

Gas Safe Register is the official organization in the UK responsible for the registration of qualified gas safety engineers, who can then work on the gas appliances installed in the homes and industries. Gas Safe Register maintains a complete record of these engineers and issues them a license to work on gas appliances and installations. 

The license is valid for one year and needs to be renewed annually. Under the law, only engineers registered with the gas safe register are authorized to conduct gas safety inspections at homes and commercial properties. On successful inspection and satisfying himself that the gas appliances are functioning in conformity with the safety standards, he will issue a Gas Safety Certificate, also called Gas Safety Records or, more commonly, CP 12. 

Guide to the Gas Safe Inspection Process

As a compulsory requirement, every landlord must inspect their rented properties for gas safety at least once a year. This has to be a comprehensive inspection so that any defect or fault that might have developed in any gas appliance can be detected and fixed. The process involves a complete inspection of all the gas appliances, allied installations, and pipework on the property. That’s why it needs proper planning and preparations, by the landlords, tenants, and gas safety engineers.

Preparations for Gas-Safe Inspection by Landlords

Landlords are the key persons in the process of gas-safe inspection. They are responsible for coordinating and facilitating the whole process. They need to engage the services of a gas-safe registered engineer, set the date of inspection in consultation with the tenants, and ensure swift inspection on the scheduled date. A landlord is, therefore, required to prepare himself for the gas-safe inspection as under:

• The landlords should be aware of the time of the annual inspection, which normally has to be within the last two months before the current gas safety certificate expires.
• The landlords need to decide on a tentative inspection date in consultation with the tenants, considering their availability or convenience. 
• Then, the landlords can look for the availability of a gas-safe registered engineer. Preferably, the same engineer who conducted the safety inspection on this property last year should also be hired. 
• The landlord will set the inspection date based on the availability of the gas-safe registered engineer and the tenants' convenience. 
• Once the inspection date is finalized, the landlord will inform the tenants, preferably by written notice, so that they may prepare for the inspection process.
• On the inspection date, landlords must ensure that the inspecting engineer arrives at the location and initiates the process per the schedule. The landlord can manage this himself or through any of his appointed representatives or managers. 

Preparations for Gas-Safe Inspection by Tenants

Once the landlord has scheduled the annual gas-safe inspection and the tenants are informed accordingly, the role of tenants starts. Here's a list of preparations for the tenants to get prepared for the annual gas-safe inspection:

• The tenant has to facilitate the inspection smoothly. For this purpose, the first thing that needs to be done is to organize the home so that the engineer should not face any difficulty in moving around to reach out to the various gas appliances and installations for visual inspection, as well as any other task.
• The areas where the gas appliances such as boilers, cookers, burners, or heaters are installed, need to be made clear of any unnecessary items or clutter. This is important for the trouble-free movement and perfect inspection of all the appliances. 
• The tenants are also responsible for giving the engineers easy access to all the areas within the home where any of the appliances or allied installations are situated. For this, the tenant will have to manage the home and his family accordingly. 
• Though not necessary but highly preferable that the tenant manages his presence on the day of inspection. So, he should manage to take an off from his work or business. 
• His cooperation with the landlord and the gas safety inspector is important for the successful completion of the annual inspection. 

Preparations for Gas-Safe Inspection by a Gas-Safe Registered Engineer

The gas-safe registered engineer will also need to prepare for the scheduled gas safety inspection, as he agreed. Though it is a routine matter for an experienced gas safety engineer, he should get prepared by making a checklist. Firstly, he needs to understand what work he must conduct on the inspection day. The checklist may include the following:

• Complete visual inspection of all the gas appliances installed on the property.
• Check the correctness of the installations, and whether installed as per the standard safety protocols.
• Gas pressure testing.
• Check for ventilation adequacy.
• Check the flues and chimneys.
• Check the working status of safety devices.
• Identify the faulty appliances and report them according to the standard operating procedures.

Simultaneously, the engineer also needs to prepare his tools, gadgets, and documents, such as:

• He would need a copy of the “Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure." This will help him conduct the inspection according to the requirements.
• He would need a flue gas analyzer with an in-date calibration certificate.
• Carbon dioxide reading meter.
• A stopwatch may prove to be quite handy during the inspection.
• Measuring Tape.
• Caps and plugs for the gas pipes.
• Jointing compounds and tapes.
• Compounds for the flue joints.
• Smoke matches and smoke pellets.
• Leak detection fluid.
• Warning advice notices.
• Warning “Do Not Use” labels.
• Compartment warning labels.
• Electric cross-bonding warning notices.

• Personal safety equipment for the engineer himself.

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Conclusion

The safety of the people and properties is the responsibility of the landlords. To make it happen, they are legally required to manage annual gas-safe inspections on all the gas appliances installed in their properties. The process of inspection involves the active participation of landlords, tenants, and the inspecting engineer. 

Each of them needs to get prepared for the scheduled annual gas-safe inspection. All three have to make some pre-hand preparations well before the day of inspection so that the process may not be hampered due to any mismanagement. The landlord is the focal person for this whole process, so he needs to coordinate and manage the same in a proper way.