Rental accommodation & the law regarding Gas appliances

If you are a landlord letting a property equipped with gas appliances you need to understand and comply with the law relating to gas safety.

If you let a property, you must make sure that pipe work, appliances and flues provided for tenants are maintained in a safe condition. You need to have a gas safety check every year. A Gas Safe registered engineer must carry out the safety check in your properties in Great Britain and the Isle of Man. You must give your tenants a copy of the gas safety certificate within 28 days of it being carried out or before they move in.

You are also obliged to show your tenants how they can turn off the gas supply in the event of a gas leak.

Annual checks

As a landlord, you are legally responsible for making sure that a Gas Safe registered engineer checks the gas appliances in your rental properties every 12 months and gives you & the tenant copies of the gas safety certificates.

Remember, you must keep a record of each safety check for two years.

We would be happy to arrange for your Gas Safety Certificate through our recommended Gas Safe engineer. Please contact us for a quotation for this or for a report on the condition of your plumbing & heating system. 

Rental accommodation & the law regarding electrical installations & portable appliances

Unlike gas regulations, there is no law that says you must have a landlord electrical safety certificate. However It is important to ensure that all electrical appliances and fittings within the property are safe and in good working order. But, should any electrical fittings or appliances within your rental property cause harm to a tenant you could be held liable.
However Under the Consumer Protection Act you have a duty to ensure that the electrical installation & portable appliances at you property are safe. Please be aware your Public Liability part of your household insurance may not pay out if a tenant is injured or worse due to unsafe electrics.
You are advised to make visual inspections yourself as landlord or agent in residential properties (record on a safety checklist) and have periodic checks carried out by a qualified electrician.
To be sure that you property is safe we would recommend that you have the following in place

• Annual visual inspections by the landlord or agent - recording this on a safety checklist.
• Inspections on tenant change overs, recording electrical equipment, its condition and fuses fitted see PAT Testing.
• Periodic inspections of electrical equipment by a qualified electrician.
• 5 yearly inspections by a qualified electrician to ensure safety and that the electrical system complies with current electrical regulations.
• Keep all records of these inspections.

Again as with Gas Tests we would be happy to arrange for your electrical inspection through our recommended NICEIC approve electrician. Please contact us for a quotation. 

Portable Applicance Tests

It is now a recommendation of most insurance companies that landlords have tested by way of a PAT Test all portable appliances in the property such as fridges, cookers, toasters, vacuum cleaners, electrical heaters etc. To ensure they are safe to use, we are informed that in some cases insurance companies have declined claims from owners & tenants of rented properties for damages caused by faulty portable appliances. We are happy to arrange PAT tests for you which includes a free plug change should it be required.