Stay Legal with Landlord Inspections

If you’re a landlord, then it might be advisable to keep in mind the legal requirements surrounding landlords inspections, gas appliances and Landlords gas safety records.

Duty of Care

Of course, as a responsible landlord, you are probably only too aware of the need for safety around your property. Nothing is more important than the good health (or even lives) of your tenants. A malfunctioning gas appliance may put both of those things at risk.

The consequences of such a problem for a landlord might also be severe – perhaps putting at risk your financial future and even possibly your freedom.

The courts may take a very dim view of landlords that transgress and put at risk the well being of their tenants.

The legal requirements for landlords inspections

Current legislation deems that in the case of residential properties, landlords have a duty to arrange annual gas safety checks by a gas safe registered engineer, as a minimum.

If yours are commercial properties then the lease should determine who has responsibility for gas safety: i.e you as a landlord, or the tenant. If it is your responsibility, then you need to arrange for annual maintenance and a gas safe registered engineer check.

The salient points regarding safety inspections are:

• every gas appliance on your property must be inspected within 12 months of its installation;

• every appliance must also be inspected every 12 months;

• similar safety inspections on appliances and pipework must be carried out once a set of tenants have vacated the property and before new ones move in;

• if vacating tenants leave a gas appliance of their own behind, then it becomes the responsibility of the landlord and must also be fully safety inspected (or removed) prior to new tenants moving in.

This is not something that it would be advisable to take shortcuts on or disregard.

Qualified personnel

It hopefully goes without saying that all such inspections should be carried out by suitably qualified personnel and a landlord’s quick visual check alone will not suffice.

All of our gas service engineers are fully trained, experienced and accredited and we can take the hassle out of arranging an inspection by reminding you of the need for the annual inspection before it falls due or expires, and by getting in touch with a tenant directly on your behalf.

If you are a landlord with multiple properties, we can also arrange a bulk inspection agreement, which is something that may save you effort and also offer a cost reduction due to volume.

The importance of maintaining safety standards cannot be overstated. Periodic landlords inspections are the only real way to do so.