Connecting a replacement Gas Hob

dreamypuma

Hi Hoping for a bit of clarification from someone in the know.

My parents recently had the Kitchen replaced, part of this work included the replacement of a gas hob. The kitchen fitter subbed this work out to a gas fitter.

We suspect that whilst the fitter works for a Gas Safe registered company, the work may have been done cash in hand with the fitter directly. We have requested a Gas Safety Record / Cert for the work, and the Kitchen Fitter isn't very forthcoming.

He has given us the gas fitters mobile. We have contacted the gas fitters offices rather than the fitter himself and they have no record of any work at the premises. We are reluctant to contact the gas fitter now, as our contract was not with him but the Kitchen Fitter.

I understand that in some instances a safety record is not a legal requirement, would it be reasonable to expect one under the circumstances described above, and if so what can we do?

phill99

I'm pretty sure (but a gas fitter will be along in a minute to confirm or other wise) that you should have had a certificate. I had one when I had a new hob installed a couple of years ago.

I suggest that you make the kitchen fitter get the hob checked and certificated by a Gas Safe engineer at his expense or you take the cost of the safety check from what you owe him. You may wish to remind him that you hold the trump card as you could report both the fitter and the installer to gas Safe and Trading Standards for working on gas appliances withoiut being 'competent persons'.

dreamypuma

phill99 wrote: »

I'm pretty sure (but a gas fitter will be along in a minute to confirm or other wise) that you should have had a certificate. I had one when I had a new hob installed a couple of years ago.

I suggest that you make the kitchen fitter get the hob checked and certificated by a Gas Safe engineer at his expense or you take the cost of the safety check from what you owe him. You may wish to remind him that you hold the trump card as you could report both the fitter and the installer to gas Safe and Trading Standards for working on gas appliances withoiut being 'competent persons'.

Thanks for your post. The last time I had some gas work done (hob replacement and new boiler install) was under CORGI. In both instances I got a Corgi Certificate, so assumed that this was a legal requirement.

Reading the Gas Safe website, it seems more ambiguous. Before reading the site today, I was preparing to write a Letter Before Action, but now I'm unsure.

The work was completed in June, and we have been chasing since. We don't want to escalate the matter unnecessarily if the supply of a record is not a legal requirement.

My parents have also paid the fitter in full, so there is no chance of a retention. We do have an invoice for the work from the kitchen fitter.

phill99

I'm 99% sure that you need to have one.

I think you are correct to think of a LBA. You may wish to remind him about your trump card!!

McKneff

The kitchen fitter is responsible for this. He took on the gas fitter as a sub contractor.

Whether the gas fitter was paid cash in hand is his problem and he should have had more sense if this
happened.

Hassle him, and hassle him and hassle him, till you get what you want.

dreamypuma

This is exactly how I see it.

I spoke to the Kitchen Fitter late this evening, where he told me to contact the Gas fitter. I told him that my contract is with him, and i'm not prepared to contact his subbys.

I need to establish whether our request is a reasonable and valid one, and if denied, whether we have a course of action.

bambibashercol

There is no requirement to notify a gas cooker or hob unless it is a flued cooker, If your not sure about it being safe though then contact gas safe for a free inspection.

keystone

I think In agree with BBC although some LABCs interpret the rules differently. It may be that the work has been notified in which case you will be waiting for the LABC to lumber into a period of activity and generate your cert.

However, there is no reason why the fitter shouldn't be able to issue his own Certificate that its safe with his GSR number on it if the local LABC dont expect notification. He was asked to show his GSR card before he was allowed to start the work, wasn't he?

Cheers

dreamypuma

keystone wrote: »

I think In agree with BBC although some LABCs interpret the rules differently. It may be that the work has been notified in which case you will be waiting for the LABC to lumber into a period of activity and generate your cert.

However, there is no reason why the fitter shouldn't be able to issue his own Certificate that its safe with his GSR number on it if the local LABC dont expect notification. He was asked to show his GSR card before he was allowed to start the work, wasn't he?

Cheers

Thanks for your response. I'm not sure if my parents asked to see his GSR Card, as I haven't been involved with this work until they contacted me about this situation.

The work has been carried out by an employee of a reputable GSR company, however it seems unlikely, that the work went through the companies books. Rather the individuals back pocket. This is despite the gas fitter using the companies vehicles and equipment.

As such is seemed the work was being conducted by the company. I now turns out that the company have no record of the work.

ziggyman99

There is no requirement to provide a certificate for a any appliance. You would only need a Gas Safety Record if you were letting the property or may be selling the house and and the buyers had requested one (getting more common these days). Registering the install is something completely different but doesn't apply to hobs. If the fitter was registered, and the job was done correctly, he has done nothing wrong. You probably got the job done cheap so I wouldn't complain too much. If I fitted a hob and the customer asked for a Gas Safety Record I would charge extra as this is a legal document and a copy must be kept. I do get asked but it's not common.

gas4you

If the fitter works for someone else and is registered under their GSR number, then he is working illegally unless he has been given permission to do this job from his employer.

To do work in his own right, he must have his own GSR number.

Saying that, it does not mean that you have had an unsafe job done, just technically not allowed.

As said hobs do not have to be notified to building control upon installation, but flued appliances do ie boilers etc.