Gas safety certificate - required or not ?

Muscat

I rent a property where there is a gas supply to the property but it is not used. Everything is run on electric. In fact, the only gas appliance is a fire sealed behind a fireguard that I never intend to use.

The agent is happy get someone to undertake a safety inspection but it would require me to rearrange furniture and perhaps take time off work.

Do I really need to have a certificate of worthiness for an appliance which I will never use ?

poppysarah

Get the meter disconnected.

BitterAndTwisted

It all depends on how keen you are to risk carbon monoxide poisoning! Just because the gas-supply isn't used does not mean that the landlord can avoid their LEGAL OBLIGATION to have a Gas Safety Check done. Either take time off work to be there when the check is carried out or arrange for the landlord's contractor to gain access.

jamie11

I had a similar situation years ago. I called Transco and they dug up the pavement and capped the supply underground. No charge at all.

BitterAndTwisted

This is a rental property so the tenant would not be able to have the supply disconnected without the landlord agreeing to arrange it.

jamie11

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

This is a rental property so the tenant would not be able to have the supply disconnected without the landlord agreeing to arrange it.

Then I agree with you. It needs a certificate.
Maybe the landlord could ask to have the supply removed if it's not being used.

BitterAndTwisted

OP: please be aware that an annual Gas Safety inspection is a legal requirement and there are heavy penalties imposed on landlords who do not comply. It is also in your own interests to make arrangements for this to be done. If you do not your landlord would be at liberty to get a court order to ensure that you comply.

chappers

Just ask your LL to get his plumber to put a disc in the user side of the meter, this will prevent any gas entering the property and then there is no need to test the appliance.

Muscat

So if you remove the gas fire which has the gas turned off before it reaches the appliance would you still need a check ?

If so, what for ?

If not, then how is the situation different from now where no gas ever reaches the gas fire ?

My guess is that he wants to turn on an appliance which is never used and to which there is no effective gas supply in order to check it is safe (and earn a nice fee), which would be fine, except for the fact that we have turned the gas off and the appliance is boarded up in the chimney. I fail to see how this protects us at all.

If the guy could come at a time to suit me then fine but the guy seems to want to come at a time to suit him, sort of the middle of the afternoon.

G_M

If there is supply within the property, it needs a certificate. The gas could leak.

If the gas supply is disconnected, then there is nothing to test and no need for a certificate.

So it depends where the disconnection takes place. The fact that an appliance is 'boarded up in a chimney' is irrelevant if gas still reaches that applince. There could be a leak.

silvercar

There was a long discussion somewhere, possibly not here, on whether a certificate was needed if there was no gas appliances; the conclusion was probably it was if only to check that the pipework wasn't leaking.