Carbon monoxide leak from gas fire. Is it safe if turned off?

rosie383

I am asking on behalf of a friend. a gas engineer came out to their rented house to do a gas safety check and discovered immediately that there was a carbon monoxide leak from the gas fire in the living room. It has been turned off and the landlady is claiming it is too expensive to maintain, so she will not do anything about it. Is it safe to have in the property if it is off?
They have gas central heating but can't have individual radiators on. So they are having to heat the whole house in order to heat the living room, if that makes sense. Is the landlady in breach of contract as the contract stated that there was a gas fire for use in the living room? Or is she only obliged to provide a working system for heat and hot water?
Obviously their fuel bills are going to increase quite a bit. They also have a small child, so do need some heat on in the house. Do they have any right to demand that the landlady fixes the problem?

macman

Yes, it can't produce carbon monoxide if it's not on. But yes if the tenancy agreement says it's there then it should be working.
Of course it should be fixed, it's a potential hazard if anyone does switch it on.

rosie383

Thanks Macman.
I'm not sure if their 3 yr old would be able to switch it on, but that is something to think about. I think the landlady is just being obstructive and has not been helpful at all. So they should hassle her until she gets something done about it? And if the gas engineer won't issue a safety certificate, then she is obliged to ensure that the property is safe. Is that right?

macman

Has the engineer not sealed it to avoid it being turned on? Yes, she needs a valid safety certificate in a rental property. Give the landlady written notice (7 days say?) to get it sorted.

tracey_khadija

Hi. its my gas fire, just found the link to the thread Rosie very kindly started for me. My 3 year old would not be able to switch the fire on, the ignition on it is also broken and needs to be lit with a lighter, and we have always told her never to go near the fire whether it is on or off anway. No the engineer has not sealed the gas fire up or done anything. When he was last here he said it "had carbon monoxide" and needed replacing and that he would speak to the landlady about the cost and then come back and do the work. It has been almost 3 weeks since he was here. I am waiting for a reply to an email i sent the landlady, explaining that we do feel the need for the fire to be replaced. Our tenacy is also due to expire at the end of this month.

macman

Do you have a copy of the gas safety certificate which the landlady is obliged to supply within 28 days of the inspection? If not she is in clear breach of the regulations.


What are my duties as a landlord in relation to gas safety?

You have duties under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 to arrange maintenance by a Gas Safe Registered engineer for all pipe work, appliances and flues, which you own and have provided for your tenants use. You must also arrange for an annual gas safety check to be carried out every 12 months by a Gas Safe Registered engineer. You must keep a record of the safety check for 2 years and issue a copy to each existing tenant within 28 days of the check being completed and issue a copy to any new tenants before they move in.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/faqlandlord.htm#faq15

foreign_correspondent

she is breaking the law!! - I hope your central heating boiler is maintained, tested, and safe? - I have almost been carbon monixide poisoned twice in my life - I had no idea at the time... the risk is that is it fatal, but you have no idea you are breathing it in - and often people become too tired and confused to realise what is happening, and lie down for a nap... never to get up again...

Please do not accept being fobbed off with this - it is too risky - does she have other properties at all? I would be worried she is neglecting this very serious issue in other properties. Fixing the gas fire will probably only cost her the equivalent of a week or two's rent!

I rented out my house for a year whilst I was abroad, and had to have the fire and boiler gas tested, and provide safety certificates to the tenants, and I would not have dreamed on skimping on this - ironically, it was whilst we were abroad, living in a rented flat that had not been tested, that we were almost carbon monoxided to death!

Even if your landlady sends someone to sort it out, I would recommend investing £15 in a carbon monixide alarm - ours saved our lives, as we had no idea - we bought it from Wilko, and it was the best £15 I have ever spent! It was what alerted us to the carbon monoxide leak in our flat abroad four years ago, then it went off here (we are now back at home) a couple of months ago - it turned out some soot had fallen down the chimney and caused a blockage, leading the the CO leak...!

Children are more vulnerable to CO poisoning, so with a 3 y/o I would be pursuing the landlady to get the fire and boiler serviced and made safe ASAP, but I would also buy an alarm for peace of mind and safety. Levels of CO which are too low to be fatal, can still cause poisoning and damage to the brain.

Contact Citizens Advice today for advice, this landlady needs making aware that this is not an optional service, it is integral to her responsibilities as a landlady - otherwise she could have deaths on her hands.

I am surprised the engineer did not disable the fire, or at the very least stick something over it saying 'Condemned Do Not Use' - otherwise a guest, babysitter, visitor etc may come in and switch it on, and get gassed - I would be a bit concerned whether the engineer is registered.. I think the registration is 'Gas Safe' or somthing now, rather than Corgi - I am sure someone elase on here will be able to advise on how you can check this out.

Joyful

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

I am surprised the engineer did not disable the fire, or at the very least stick something over it saying 'Condemned Do Not Use' - otherwise a guest, babysitter, visitor etc may come in and switch it on, and get gassed - I would be a bit concerned whether the engineer is registered.. I think the registration is 'Gas Safe' or somthing now, rather than Corgi - I am sure someone elase on here will be able to advise on how you can check this out.

Me too. The engineer can not have given a safety certificate so she will be breaking the law.

daveyjp

The landlady only has to pay a gas engineer £100 (or less) to get the fire removed and supply capped.

She does need reporting if the property you are renting does not have a safety certificate - renting out properties comes with responsbilities.

If the house has a heating system which can keep the main room at a set level she has met the requirements of the Housing Act, regardless of whether this heating system is expensive to run.

peachyprice

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

I am surprised the engineer did not disable the fire, or at the very least stick something over it saying 'Condemned Do Not Use' - otherwise a guest, babysitter, visitor etc may come in and switch it on, and get gassed - I would be a bit concerned whether the engineer is registered.. I think the registration is 'Gas Safe' or somthing now, rather than Corgi - I am sure someone elase on here will be able to advise on how you can check this out.

Me three.

The fire should have been condemned and disconnected to avoid any accidental use before he left the property.

Sounds like her 'gas engineer' is as dodgy as her fire.

lemontart

why not check him up on https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk