Gas leak - help!

Kellyallen · 18 April 2017 at 9:55PM

Nope, there's never been an inspection! And my mom has never been given a gas safety certificate for the house.
My mom never thought the cupboard smelled like gas. It's just this time that I've been back that I went in the cupboard and smelt gas and my mom said 'it's always smelt like that but I thought it just smelt old and musty, not like gas'

It does smell old and musty.. but also like gas.

Pixie5740 · 18 April 2017 at 9:56PM

If someone is sent to do some work on the gas pipes and/or appliances your mum should ask to see their ID and check that they are a Gas Safety Registered engineer. If they are not a gas safety registered engineer they should not be tinkering with gas pipes and appliances.

PasturesNew · 18 April 2017 at 10:01PM

There is ONE rule to "I think I smell gas".
Immediately phone the emergency number, a little man comes out for free and checks.
On the phone they will tell you to open the doors and windows, to turn the gas off at the mains and, preferably, to wait outside for the little man.

You're really putting people at risk by choosing any other route. If there is a gas leak, it might still be sitting in pockets here and there .....

If you're not sure if it's gas or not .... and, let's face it, a dozen people there think it is .... then still call the emergency number and let the little man come out because .... people could die - and that's what the service is there for - and it's free.

anselld · 18 April 2017 at 10:25PM

Four people smell gas four hours ago and you are still typing a stupidly long post trying to decide what to to.....
JUST PHONE THE NUMBER!!!

Cakeguts · 18 April 2017 at 10:29PM

I would suggest that your mom looks for somewhere else to live. If she takes her time and looks around at what is available she can then decide if she wants to move or not.

G_M · 18 April 2017 at 10:30PM

Kellyallen wrote: »

Nope, there's never been an inspection! And my mom has never been given a gas safety certificate for the house.

The law says she should be given a valid GSR when the tenancy starts.

And further reports every 12 months.

Since this has not happened, I believe a letter to the LL is a good 2nd step.

The letter should

a) point out the legal requirement which the LL has failed to comply with
b) point out that there has been an undiscovered gas leak for an unknown period of time, which would have been discovered if the LL had arranged the annual inspections as required
c) the gas leak needs fixing immediately
d) as a result of the gas leak, the tenant has incurred high gas bills, costing an estimated extra £X

The tenant does not wish to involve the Health and Safety Executive unless necessary, so hopes that the LL will arrange for a repair, and a payment of £X, within the next 3 working days.

(You'll need to calculate a fair amount for £X - ie actual bill - 'normal' or expected gas bill.)

Step 1, of course, is, as others have said, to get Transgas out asap to confirm if there IS in fact a leak.

Kellyallen · 18 April 2017 at 10:33PM

Sorry to offend!
I didn't write a stupidly long post deciding what to do. I wrote the post explaining to people who were asking whether my mom was refusing entry and why she'd allowed the hot water to be off for so long.
The smell that we think is gas has been there for a long long time. It's only today that people have said they think it smells like gas.
We've been told to !!!! off the gas and someone is coming to us tomorrow.
I would have called the number but a gas expert is coming to us tomorrow and after we asked him if we should call NG he said no just shut the gas off and open the windows and he'll sort it tomorrow.
The smell isn't in the house. It's when you put your head in the cupboard.

Kellyallen · 18 April 2017 at 10:42PM

Thank you G_M! That's the sort of thing I needed, a way to speak to the LL firmly without rubbing them up the wrong way. I'll do that when we know more tomorrow.
They're so difficult to deal with and drag their feet.

I was in a rental property and the boiler was condemned as it didn't have inspection hatches along the flue. Had never had a gas inspection. And my LL dragged her feet for over a week before she had it repaired and hatches put in so it could be seitched back on, even after being told what they were doing was a criminal offence.... and she was a lawyer!!!
So, god knows what these people will be like!

G_M · 18 April 2017 at 10:52PM

Kellyallen wrote: »

........
I would have called the number but a gas expert is coming to us tomorrow and after we asked him if we should call NG he said no just shut the gas off and open the windows and he'll sort it tomorrow.
......

'Gas expert'?

I trust this is a GasSafe registered engineer. Check here:

https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/find-an-engineer/#checkanengineer

Who asked him to come and who is paying him? The landlord should doing this, not the tenant. Indeed, there are liabilities associated with tenants organising repairs, quite apart from the cost (which you canNOT claim back from the LL if you've bypassed him and arranged it yourself).

The proper way to deal with this is:

1) emergency ie possible gas leak: - cal the free emergency number to National Grid as others have said.

2) non emergency: - write (and possibly also call) the landlord as per:

* Repairing Obligations: the law, common misconceptions, reporting/enforcing, retaliatory eviction & the new protection (2015)

Lovem · 18 April 2017 at 11:21PM

Forget the landlord just call the emergency number! This is not something to mess around with. It can and will kill from either an explosion or carbon monoxide poisoning.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Gas leak - help!

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