What Should You Do If an Appliance Is Marked Unsafe After The Gas Safety Inspection?

You just had your premises checked for gas safety, and one of your appliances was marked unsafe during your gas safety inspection. Now what?

This is not uncommon and may cause you anxiety or panic, but it should not. In this article, we will go over what the next steps should be if one of your gas appliances is deemed unsafe by the gas safety engineer.

We will go over what your inspection should include and what you can do to make sure your home or property is safe for your family and loved ones.

What is a Gas Safety Inspection?

A Gas Safety Inspection is a legal requirement in which a Gas Safe registered engineer inspects your property to ensure all gas appliances and fitting are in good working condition. You must get a gas safety check if you are a homeowner who has rented out your home or building to tenants.

According to the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GS(IU)R 98), a landlord is anyone who owns a property and has leased it for less than seven years.

A gas appliance on the premises may or may not be your direct responsibility as a property owner. As a property owner, you are responsible for:

• All gas appliances that you own and that are installed on the property for use by the tenants.
• If the appliance is owned by the tenant, then the property owner is only responsible for the connection and installation of the appliance..

It is a good idea to remind your tenants that a gas safety engineer should regularly check their gas appliances to ensure they are in working order. It is also wise to periodically monitor the installation of any gas appliances on your property through mutual agreement with your tenants.

Who Carries out Your Gas Safety inspection?

All gas safety inspections should be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The Gas Safe register is an online database of all Gas Safe registered engineers in your area. All Gas Safe engineers have a registration number that should be checked when the engineer comes to inspect your premises.

The Gas Safe engineer will conduct a series of tests to ensure all of your gas appliances and machines are in working order during the gas safety check. The engineer will test the gas pressure and operate the appliances to ensure they meet safety standards.

In addition, if your gas appliances expel gases that use an extraction process, your Gas Safe engineer will need to perform a separate test on the item to ensure it operates safely.

Your Gas Safe engineer will carry out tests and make notes of the inspection in a form that is handed over to you after the check. This form is called the gas certificate.

Your record form will have important information like:

• The address of your premises and the date the inspection was carried out.
• Name and registration number of the Gas Safe engineer..
• Any problems found with any appliances or machines and solutions to fix those problems.

What Happens if an Appliance is Marked Unsafe?

If your gas appliance is found unsafe by the gas safety inspector, it will be listed on the gas safety form. In addition, your gas safety engineer may resolve fixable problems during the gas safety inspection, but the appliance or fitting will be marked unsafe if the issues are not repairable.

The Gas Safe engineer may turn off the gas until the repairs have been made. They will mark the appliance as unsafe by putting a sign on it that says, ‘safety warning, do not use’.

Your Gas Safe engineer will mark the appliance as:

• Immediately dangerous – your appliance will be disconnected, and the gas supply will be turned off with your permission.
• At risk – the appliance will be turned off with your consent and cannot be turned on until it has been fixed.

Your Gas Safe engineer will suggest remedies for your gas appliance if they cannot rectify it. It is up to you, as a property owner, to get the repairs done on time. If the appliance has been marked as unsafe, you are not allowed to use it until it has been repaired.

You will receive the original gas safety inspection certificate about 48 hours after inspection. Before the Gas Safe engineer leaves, he will leave a copy of the certificate with you as a record.

What Should I do if Suspect One of My Appliances is Leaking Gas?

If at any time you suspect that your gas appliance may be leaking gas, you will need to shut off the gas appliance immediately. You should not touch the gas appliance or use it under any circumstances. If you think there is a gas leak on your property, you should.

• Call the National Grid’s Gas Emergency Hotline.
• Open all the doors and windows of the property for ventilation.
• Shut off the main gas supply and meter control valve.

Making Sure Your Gas Appliances Are Safe

Making sure your gas appliances are safe to use and inspected is part of your responsibility as a property owner. If you are unsure of a gas appliance or getting a new one installed, it is always a good idea to make sure it is safe to use.

Gas appliances can be dangerous if not inspected, especially if there is a gas leak. As a property owner, you must maintain all gas appliances on your property. It will help if you work with your tenants to ensure everything is up to date.

If you are looking for a gas safety inspection, get an instant quote from Gas Safety Certs today.