What Can Tenants Expect During a Gas Safety Inspection?

A gas safety inspection involves a qualified Gas Safe Registered Engineer visiting your property to examine various gas appliances, such as the hob and oven, the boiler, and the hot water cylinder.

Statistics show that 34 percent of all deaths in the UK are a result of malfunctioning gas appliances; hence these checks are essential for the safety of your family. A gas safety check generally takes about half an hour, but it could take longer depending on the size of your property and if any urgent repairs are suggested.

Tenants are often not prepared for these annual checks and don’t know what to expect. This article will help you understand what goes on during a gas safety evaluation and what your responsibilities are as a tenant.

What Happens During a Gas Safety Inspection?

During a gas safety evaluation, the certified engineer will carry out the following:

• Visual examination of all the gas appliances, heating system (radiators, hot water cylinders), and boiler flue system
• Check and record the burner pressure and gas rate
• Tightness test at the gas meter to dismiss any leaks
• Test flue gases of the appliances
• Check the condense trap (and clean it if required)
• Check the air supply and ventilation
• Check the pressure vessel inside the boiler
• Make sure safety devices are functioning properly

What is the Cost of a Gas Safety Evaluation?

The cost of a gas safety check varies among certified heating engineers, with quotes ranging from £30 to £150. Certain companies have a set fee for certain appliances and charge additional fees if you want other gas appliances inspected.

Here’s a tip: book your gas safety evaluation during the summer. Winters are extremely busy for heating engineers, so without a booking, you might not find a professional in time. Moreover, companies often offer package deals or discounts in the summer, since heating engineers usually don’t have any work during these months.

What is a Gas Safety Certificate?

On completion of the gas safety evaluation, the engineer provides landlords with a digital copy of the Landlord Gas Safety Record (LGSR), also known as CP12 or the gas safety certificate. The Gas Safety Regulations (Installation and Use) 1998 necessitate that all tenants obtain this certificate after every 12 months.

This certificate includes the following information:

• Location and description of all gas appliances
• Results of the evaluations conducted on the appliances
• Details about any faults/defects and suggestions for fixing them
• Date when the inspection was performed
• Address of the property
• Name, signature, and registration number of the engineer

Do Tenants Need to Conduct Regular Gas Safety Inspections?

As a tenant, you are not obligated by the law to conduct annual gas safety checks or obtain a gas safety certificate; this is the landlord's responsibility. It is advised that you ask your landlord for these safety evaluations regularly.

Faulty gas appliances present the risk of generating the poisonous gas carbon monoxide, the continuous inhalation of which can be fatal. Gas-related accidents –poisoning and active explosions – cause immense collateral damage and permanent destruction. And the people who survive these accidents are generally left with long-term health complications.

Hence, regular gas safety inspections ensure that all your gas appliances are working optimally and are not likely to cause any safety hazard. Moreover, these safety checks extend the lifespan of your appliances.

What Happens if a Tenant Fails their Gas Safety Evaluation?

If the inspection engineer concludes any gas appliance to be unsafe or faulty, they will mention this on the gas safety certificate by marking the not safe to use checkbox.

Generally, three codes are mentioned on gas safety certificates to indicate that appliances aren’t safe to use:

1. Immediately Dangerous (ID) for appliances that could be an immediate danger..
2. At Risk (AR) for appliances or installations with at least one defect that might cause danger.
3. Not to Current Standards (NCS) for appliances or installations that do not meet the required standards but are technically safe to use.

For the first two categories, the heating engineer will ask permission to detach the gas supply from the appliance. They will then advise the repairs/corrections that need to be made to fix the appliance.

To avoid putting tenants in danger, landlords must ensure that this repair work is ideally conducted as soon as possible.

Conclusion for What Can Tenants Expect During a Gas Safety Inspection?

The safety and security of their tenants are the primary responsibility of a property owner. Hence, landowners are legally obligated to schedule gas safety checks and obtain a CP12 confirming that all gas appliances are appropriately installed and safe to use.

We hope this article helped you understand the basics of a gas safety inspection and why it shouldn’t be ignored or postponed. Make sure to get all your gas appliances checked, and landlords must renew their gas safety certificates every year.