No gas checks carried out - who to report to

[Blackkatier]

Hi all,
My daughter has been renting her house for 2 years and the LL has never carried out a gas safety inspection within that time. as there are 5 gas wall heaters, a boiler and a gas fire, she is now very concerned about safety, particularly for her baby.
Who would she make a complaint to regarding this.

[Worldlife]

See list of Health and Safety Executive Area Offices and advice in
HSE Gas Safety Frequently Asked Questions

The number and type of gas appliances here would suggest an urgent safety check is needed

Please keep us updated of your progress.

[Blackkatier]

To update this thread, i contacted the landlord on my daughters behalf and after much blustering he finally arranged to have the gas safety checks done.

some problems have shown up - mainly that the appliances have never been serviced since my daugher moved in nearly two years ago. The LL 'does not like my interference'.

Could you suggest which offices i contact to ensure that the LL faces up to his responsibility and does not kill off my daughter and grand daughter with carbon monoxide poisoning?

[Worldlife]

Thanks for the update Blackkatier.

You have by your own "blustering" pushed the Landlord to undertake the work and the Landlord now complies with the law.

Could you suggest which offices i contact to ensure that the LL faces up to his responsibility and does not kill off my daughter and grand daughter with carbon monoxide poisoning?

Contact the Health and Safety Executive on the link I gave in my first post. Their enforcement possibilities are now limited by virtue of the fact you did not, as was recommended, complain to them that the mandatory inspections were two years out of date.

The LL 'does not like my interference'.

Maybe the HSE may feel the same way in that you failed to give them an opportunity to deal with a potentially dangerous situation in a professional way. Do you know what ,if any, repairs were needed to make the system safe to enable the gas certificate to be issued?

Having regard to you concerns about carbon monoxide risks it would be sensible for you or your daughter to purchase carbon monoxide detectors as an added protection.

[Ericthelobster]

Could you suggest which offices i contact to ensure that the LL faces up to his responsibility and does not kill off my daughter and grand daughter with carbon monoxide poisoning?

If the gas inspection has been done, and the property has been pronounced safe, then that's fine. If the 'problem' of to lack of servicing had rendered them unsafe, then the CORGI would not have issued a certificate, it's as simple as that.

Arguably an unserviced CH system might be more likely to break down than a serviced one, but that is not a safety issue so you really have no grounds to complain to EHO over this.

[Worldlife]

If the gas inspection has been done, and the property has been pronounced safe, then that's fine. If the 'problem' of to lack of servicing had rendered them unsafe, then the CORGI would not have issued a certificate, it's as simple as that.

Arguably an unserviced CH system might be more likely to break down than a serviced one, but that is not a safety issue so you really have no grounds to complain to EHO over this.

Eric have I misunderstood the advice on the HSE site that the enforcement of these Gas requirements is theirs and not the local Environmental Health Officer?

Do you agree that as a result of this "blustering" any sensible landlord would instruct a Corgi engineer to check and undertake any necessary repairs and then undertake the certification inspection and approval? In these circumstances I certainly would not want the tenant to be issued with a notice of an inspection failure.

[MK Landlord]

Blackkatier does not make himself clear.

"he finally arranged to have the gas safety checks done." Unclear if the engineer issued a certificate or not.

"some problems have shown up" implies no safety certificate issued but the explanation "never been serviced" and "The LL 'does not like my interference' implies certificate issued as these would not be reasons to fail the inspection.

hence status unclear. If certificate issued, there's no danger and no issue. If not issued, then urgently follow advice to enforce.

[Ericthelobster]

Eric have I misunderstood the advice on the HSE site that the enforcement of these Gas requirements is theirs and not the local Environmental Health Officer?

Sorry, no I'm sure you're right.

Do you agree that as a result of this "blustering" any sensible landlord would instruct a Corgi engineer to check and undertake any necessary repairs and then undertake the certification inspection and approval? In these circumstances I certainly would not want the tenant to be issued with a notice of an inspection failure.

Well absolutely! not sure what point you're making though? And I don't know whether a landlord who leaves a tenant in a house full of gas appliances for years with no CORGI check is ever going to earn himself a description of 'sensible'!

[Worldlife]

Sorry, no I'm sure you're right.

Well absolutely! not sure what point you're making though? And I don't know whether a landlord who leaves a tenant in a house full of gas appliances for years with no CORGI check is ever going to earn himself a description of 'sensible'!

Agreed

Does anyone know what the HSE do when there is no gas inspection certificate. Do they arrange an independent inspection or do they issue an improvement notice requiring one to be provided ? Do they take action against the landlord for not having the certificate in the first place?

[Blackkatier]

Sorry, no I'm sure you're right.

Well absolutely! not sure what point you're making though? And I don't know whether a landlord who leaves a tenant in a house full of gas appliances for years with no CORGI check is ever going to earn himself a description of 'sensible'!

Well, thanks for that!

I would rather 'bluster' on and ensure that the gas appliances are safe. Any 'responsible or sensible[/I]landlord would not have needed me to 'interfere'. He obviously prefers to save money rather than ensure his tenants safety.

There are carbon monoxide detectors in the house - first thing we bought for my daughter, this does not however absolve the LL of his responsibilities. Sorry to have hit such a raw nerve!

[Worldlife]

No raw nerve at all Blackkatier........

That's why you were urged in the first place to go directly to the HSE. The fact that you did not do so means that there is no record with the enforcing authority that this landlord has failed to comply with the law.

It could be that the same landlord is somewhat foolishly and negligently failing to meet his legal requirements concerning other properties in his ownership.

Glad to read you have provided carbon monoxide detectors in the property - certainly an added safety feature.

Eric the point I was trying to make in an earlier post is that even the most negligent of landlords might sense doom approaching when forced on an issue concerning failure to provide gas inspections. Failure in this case to report the matter to the relevant authority got this landlord off the hook.

[Jennifer_M]

You lot make me larf.You'd rather wait until someone snuffs it because you can't be bovvered to carry out a gas check.Funny init I was sharing a cell with a landlord who dittn carry out a gas check.

Go get a course on how to write in english before posting completly useless posts on forums. We're not in the 'hood' here.

[Jennifer_M]

Why dunt you go and get a course in good manners darling!

Good manners also include writing in good understandable english rather than a joke Ali G style. Darling.

[pms]

That is hows I write and this is our I talk.Wot yer now discriminating against me coz im black

She was only commenting on your language.There's no need to play the race card on here.This is a property forum, if you want to put your point of view across by all mean's do but let's not bring it down to race or colour.

[Jennifer_M]

That is hows I write and this is our I talk.Wot yer now discriminating against me coz im black

I don't care what colour you are, you could be green with purple spots I wouldn't care more because my point is you are pretending to speak ENGLISH. English is spoken and written the same whether you're white, black or yellow.