Gas Fire not on gas safety certificate

domcastro

I'm really cross and I'm not sure what step to take next.

I had been feeling ill recently and went to the doctor. I had loads of tests (ECG, chest xray, thyroid etc) and everything was normal (ish - I smoke). Anyway, the doctor asked me about gas appliances and I said I used a gas fire in the lounge. He told me to check the gas safety certificate. When I got home, I had a look at it and lo and behold only 1 appliance had been tested - the boiler. I rang up the letting agents, who rang up the gas contractors they use. Seemingly, when the gasman came the owners said there was only one appliance and the fire got overlooked. They've come today and even though they didn't check for carbon monoxide (covering their back) they said the fire wasn't fitted properly and disconnected it from the gas supply.

Now this is where, they are all wary now - who is to blame?

I asked the gasman what the procedure was, and he said that he's told to go to a property and check for appliances - the letting agents don't give him a specific list. If there is other tenants etc he sometimes has no access to some parts of the house. He went on to say that as he hadn't signed the fire off as "safe" - it wasn't his fault. I said that he shouldnt take jobs on unless he's given a list and full access to the property - he said yeh, but there's other companies who wouldn't ask for a list and therefore they'd get the business.

I kept emphasising the fact SOMEONE COULD HAVE DIED - but as normal it's all about money. He also said it's not just my letting agents but all letting agents that operate in this way (he also said I should have checked the gas safety certificate - I said NO the letting agent should have as he shouldn't have let out the house if every appliance wasn't tested)

What shall I do? I'm not interested in money or court or anything, but surely there should be a better procedure in place for ALL letting agents. Gas safety certificates were brought in because of people getting ill - and it seems like lots of appliances aren't getting tested.

Is it going to take someone to die before the letting agents and gasmen take this seriously?

poppysarah

gas fires are getting disconnected all over the country as landlords discover they don't like paying for them to be maintained or replaced.

You could ring the H&S exec and ask them about their gas cert rules.

silvercar

If the CORGI guy has visited the property, then AFAIK he has to sign off the appliances or stick a red label on them as unsafe. I don't see how he can ignore certain appliances.
If this is a hole that unsafe appliances can be by-passed then it need blocking.

IMHO the fact that there is a certificate shows that an inspection has been carried out, whereas with no certificate at all you would assume the fire hadn't been looked at.

Premier_2

Who signed the CP12 to acknowledge receipt by the tenant/LL/agent/Home owner?

domcastro

Noone has signed that bit

Catblue

domcastro,

On this thread:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1313741

You were the one bragging about how:

"Call me irresponsible - but to get a Corgi registered person to do my boiling/heating would have cost 500 - 1000 quid more than using a non-corgi registered. I just bought a CO tester. When I sold the house, I paid the 35 quid for insurance. BIG savings. I was also lucky that the people who bought my house had done the exact same thing with their house so they didn't care. "

and

"If the boiler hasn't killed you - it's ok".

and

"Yes I know - I knowingly broke the law to save me money. I was the only person living in the house so only risked my own life ".



Presumably the landlord and letting agency wanted to save money in this current situation.

If the gas fire hasn't killed you, it must be okay, surely?

Premier_2

domcastro wrote: »

Noone has signed that bit

Oh dear, that's the usual check.

It could be argued that the tenant, the LL, and the agent (if any) could all see what had been inspected as each appliance is clearly detailed on the CP12.

Unfortunately, the engineer can only do what he is employed to do. If he's told to only inspect the boiler & cooker, that's all he'll do - but the CP12 will only specify the appliances he has checked.

The LL is ultimately responsible for ensuring all gas appliances are included in the gas safety check (or at least has made reasonable endeavours to do so). Even if the LL were to claim the fire was not his property, he is still responsible for it's installation.

domcastro

Catblue wrote: »

domcastro,

On this thread:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1313741

You were the one bragging about how:

"Call me irresponsible - but to get a Corgi registered person to do my boiling/heating would have cost 500 - 1000 quid more than using a non-corgi registered. I just bought a CO tester. When I sold the house, I paid the 35 quid for insurance. BIG savings. I was also lucky that the people who bought my house had done the exact same thing with their house so they didn't care. "

and

"If the boiler hasn't killed you - it's ok".

and

"Yes I know - I knowingly broke the law to save me money. I was the only person living in the house so only risked my own life ".



Presumably the landlord and letting agency wanted to save money in this current situation.

If the gas fire hasn't killed you, it must be okay, surely?

you're so funny - dont get the two things mixed up - I was living in that house when I installed central heating. The boiler was for me and me only. When I went to sell the house two years later I told the buyers that I hadn't used anyone. I knew the boiler was safe as 1) I had a carbon monoxide tester. 2) the man was corgi registered the year before and 3) two years later I admitted to the buyers what I had done
I didn't put their lifes at risk

This situation:

The letting agents were supposed to check the gas appliances but they didn't but told me they had. My life was put at risk and now I'm concerned about other's lives. but i suppose you're only interested in being smart.

So, what's your point? Where's the similarity??????

domcastro

The letting agent just phoned and blamed the gasman. He said that the gasman should have gone into every room and checked, regardless of what the owner said.

I said that if the fire had been highly dodgy then I would have died and surely they should have proper procedures to check these things. He said I was a one-off and he doubts it's happened elsewhere.

Well, that's it then. Nothing will change until a student dies.

domcastro

The letting agent just rang me - the LL has sold the house so I've been given my 2 months notice

silvercar

domcastro wrote: »

The letting agent just rang me - the LL has sold the house so I've been given my 2 months notice

2 months to end on a rent day, I hope.

In the meantime don't use the fire!