Gas safety first – landlords served a reminder during Gas Safety Week

Gas Safety Week runs from 18th – 24th September, and aims to raise awareness among landlords of the importance of gas safety, while reminding them of the scope of their responsibilities.

Before renting any property to a tenant, landlords must make sure the property has a valid gas safety certificate. This gas safety certificate can only be signed off by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and will then be valid for a year. Once a year has elapsed, the certificate will need to be revalidated.

Before serving the landlord with a gas safety certificate, the gas engineer will check, among other things, the gas appliances.

It’s important that landlords remember to keep safe a copy of any inspections carried out, and this includes the gas safety certificate.

The landlord may be required to fix any issues before the certificate can be issued, and these must be put right before the property is let to tenants.

Multiple legislation changes in recent years have made it a difficult time for landlords, demanding more of them. But in terms of gas safety responsibilities, landlords simply need to make sure that a full gas safety check is carried out annually on their property. All appliances must be checked, and each tenant should be given a copy of the gas safety certificate.

Click the link below for more information and the RLA’s guide to gas safety:

Residential Landlords Association