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Whilst it is always recommended to have any gas appliance checked annually, unless you hit certain criteria a gas safety check is not mandatory by law.
If you are a homeowner you are not legally required to have a Gas Safety Record.
However, you should still get your appliances checked each year by booking a boiler / gas fire service. Regular servicing helps to prolong the life of your boiler and spot for early signs of wear and tear that can be rectified to help prevent a costly breakdown.
If your boiler is within its warranty period, manufacturers will require the boiler to be serviced yearly to ensure the warranty remains valid. This will be carried out by a gas safe engineer. Failure to keep up with your annual service can invalidate the warranty meaning should your boiler breakdown you are liable to foot the bill.
When a boiler is under warranty, the manufacturer will send out an engineer and replace the faulty part free of charge.
You must by law have a gas safety check each year. This needs to be done on every gas appliance in the property. This includes the boiler and if applicable gas fire, gas hob, gas cooker.
However if the appliance is owned by the tenant and not the landlord it does not require a gas safety check.
After the gas safety check, you will be provided with a Gas Safety Record. This will have a description of each appliance tested and the results of the safety checks on each appliance. Any faults with the boiler are recorded.
If a gas related danger is identified, your engineer will attach a warning label to the appliance and provide you with a gas warning notice.
This is profoundly serious as the appliance is considered an immediate danger to life. With your permission the engineer will disconnect the appliance. You will be told not to use the appliance until it has been made safe and fixed. If you do not give permission for the appliance to be disconnected, the engineer will contact the Gas Emergency Service Provider who have legal authority to disconnect your gas supply. Please note this only applies to natural gas not LPG.
Here the engineer has found one or more recognised faults with your boiler that could constitute a danger to life. With permission, the engineer will turn off the appliance and you should not use it again until the fault has been fixed.
In both situations it is the role of the landlord to get the issue fixed as soon as possible.
If you own a business, usually your insurance provider will outline that any gas appliances in your premises will need to be checked by a Gas Safe engineer. Importantly if you own a hotel, B&B or guest house you are required to have gas appliances checked.
If you have a mobile catering vehicle that uses LPG gas bottles to fuel your appliances you are required to have regular gas safety checks. By law you are classed as a landlord. Therefore, you require a gas safety certificate each year from a Gas Safe engineer.
If you have any questions or require further information on this article, please call our offices on 01258 472132 and one of the team will be happy to help you.
