gas leak in rented flat

roses_babe

in jan we had our boiler checked over by our landlord he said all was ok.

in august we had a gas leak in our flat we would not of noticed this but luckily we were having some work done on outside some men noticed it.

is there any compensation we can claim?

Jowo_2

A landlord is obliged to ensure a gas safety check is performed on the boiler and gas appliances on an annual basis by an accredited gas safety engineer and the certificate issued to the tenants. It is a criminal offence for a landlord not to do this.

If you've not seen this certificate, ensure you demand it asap and if the landlord won't comply, report him to the environmental health dept of your local council who can ensure its compliance.

Shelter can advise you how to seek compensation if you are entitled to it but
dozens of people die of carbon monoxide poisoning from faulty boilers each year.

Consider your life over your wallet and get sorted on the gas safety certificate if there is none.

theartfullodger

The world is divided into two sorts of people...
1) Those who expect "Compo" at someone else's expense at any opportunity...
2) Those who expect to pay their own way with good grace & move on...
3) Those who can't count..

Cheers!

Lodger

markinyo

theartfullodger wrote: »

The world is divided into two sorts of people...
1) Those who expect "Compo" at someone else's expense at any opportunity...
2) Those who expect to pay their own way with good grace & move on...
3) Those who can't count..

Cheers!

Lodger

Hold on a minute - a gas leak is not a trivial thing, it's potentially extremely dasngerous and the OP is well within their rights to see if they can get some sort of redress. As others have said, find out whether your LL has a gas safey certificate, and if not, get him to get the check done ASAP.

How can a Landlord say a boiler is OK? Is he a qualified CORGI/Gas Safe engineer? You could be putting yourself at risk if you don't make sure it's all OK, cos it sure as hell seems like your landlord ain't bothered.

Jowo_2

I agree with you that a gas leak is not a trivial thing but would worry if a tenant chooses to prioritise compensation over their safety - they can't put a claim in if they die first...Ensure the gas cert is in place is my strongest advice in terms of what to prioritise.

clutton_2

have you got a landlords gas safety certificate - if so when is it dated ?

EliteHeat

The OP said that some work was being done outside and the workmen noticed the leak. If the leak was outside it is extremely unlikely to have posed a risk, given the requirements of the concentration of gas to air for combustion to take place.

Just thought I would mention it.

P.S. Just in case this wasn't clear, gas disasters happen when a significant quantity of gas collects in an enclosed space and meets the combustion requirements and meets a source of ignition. These event are not likely to occur outside.

roses_babe

We were having some new pipes put in outside and. The gas men cut the wrong pipe so everyones gas was switched of until it was fixed when we were about to have our gas turned back on British gas picked up a leak inside my flat and they said they r not responsible for fixing it it was up to my ll I have a certificate after the gas check in jan but the leak was from my cooker pipe which wasnt checked only my boiler was checkd

EliteHeat

roses_babe wrote: »

We were having some new pipes put in outside and. The gas men cut the wrong pipe so everyones gas was switched of until it was fixed when we were about to have our gas turned back on British gas picked up a leak inside my flat and they said they r not responsible for fixing it it was up to my ll I have a certificate after the gas check in jan but the leak was from my cooker pipe which wasnt checked only my boiler was checkd

Ah, that is different and very worrying for you. Do you have a current gas safety certificate?

theartfullodger

Compo won't help you if you are dead (sorry to be brutal but it does happen).

Write to LL, keep copy: (see
http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/repairs_and_bad_conditions/repairs_in_private_lets
outlining problem & inviting him to let you know what he will do to fix it.

If he doesn't reply within 5 days contact local council (dept usually called "Private landlords" or similar) and ask for a HHSRS inspection as there is a gas explosion risk.. (see
http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/rentingandletting/housinghealth/
)

Any Landlord with half-a-brain would want gas problems sorted very very quick (to save his property, as well as you!)

Cheers!

Lodger

clutton_2

OP - does the LL or yourself own the cooker ?