Landlord Moving Gas Meter and Charging Me!!

bengasman

The question is more about contract law than gas safety and as such this is not the best place to ask it.
From a technical point of view, it is rather unlikely that the principle reason for the work/cost is safety.
Whether or not the freeholder can charge you at all, is primarily decided by the contract you signed. If they can charge you, it is very unlikely that you can do anything about the price or quote process; social housing freeholders are for obvious reasons notoriously expensive for what they charge leaseholders.

robpw2

what happens if you couldnt afford the 1250 plus var most tenants cannot

spiro

There are two elements to the work being undertaken:
1) Moving gas meter - gas transporters job.
2) Running new gas pipes - gas safe engineer.

You need to ask if part 2 was put out to tender to ensure you got the best possible deal.

I am guessing the safety issue will be about having the emergency control value (ECVs) outside were emergency services can access before entering the building.

bengasman

spiro wrote: »

I am guessing the safety issue will be about having the emergency control value (ECVs) outside were emergency services can access before entering the building.

There is no regulation/legislation that requires this, so it would be extremely unlikely that it would be the reason.

GTG

robpw2 wrote: »

what happens if you couldnt afford the 1250 plus var most tenants cannot

I'm a leaseholder not a tennant.

GTG

bengasman wrote: »

There is no regulation/legislation that requires this, so it would be extremely unlikely that it would be the reason.

Thanks for your input bengasman. The landlord has said in writing that the "required" work was identified as the result of a fire risk assessment and safety inspection. What I find odd is that the gas meters have been sitting in the same position since the building was built about forty years ago but only now has it become a safety issue.

As with most leases on flats with communal building services installations and areas I am reponsible for a contribution towards the replacement of service pipes and cables etc. I doubt whether the replacement being as the result of a safety issue would alter my obligations. Apologies for the thread title it did n't reflect the main issue.

The bottom line is a need to find the grounds on which the work is deemed as "required". The only thing I can think of is that the block does not have a fire escape and the only route out other than jumping out of the windows is down the communal stairs. Perhaps the gas meter cupboard being positioned under the communal stairs on the ground floor is the problem. There again it has been like that for about forty years!

bengasman

As I stated above, the primary deciding factor is the contract. There are too many issues that play a roll e.g. was the flat sold "as is" or as "free of defects", is the alteration a recommendation or a requirement from insurer/lba. For that , you need to read your contract from beginning to end.
The only thing other than that for the moment, is to get the report, find out the details of the engineer that issued it, and the PRECISE, specified reasons why the meters have to be moved. "For safety reasons" is total nonsense unless they can where the situation breaches the gsiur.

grahamc2003

GTG wrote: »

I'm a leaseholder not a tennant.

Just as an aside, I'm afraid leasehold is a licence to print money for the freeholder. My experience is freeholders can (and in my case did) do anything and everything and lump the bill on the leaseholder, plus their costs and their commisions for the work they instruct. We - the residents association - had legal advice and court cases going on over 12 years, and even then, our freeholder simply refused to assign the lease, without (illegal)fees of £4000 (this at a time of flat value of £70k), meaning the flats couldn't be sold. In civil cases, the law is an !!!, doing nothing extremely slowly and extremely costly.

Sorry for the rant - just to advise that however unfairly (or illegally) your freeholder treats you, don't expect to get redress through the civil courts. (We won various cases, but nothing changed, and just had to accept being ripped off a final time in order to sell, even if previously declared unlawful.).

GTG

bengasman wrote: »

As I stated above, the primary deciding factor is the contract. There are too many issues that play a roll e.g. was the flat sold "as is" or as "free of defects", is the alteration a recommendation or a requirement from insurer/lba. For that , you need to read your contract from beginning to end.
The only thing other than that for the moment, is to get the report, find out the details of the engineer that issued it, and the PRECISE, specified reasons why the meters have to be moved. "For safety reasons" is total nonsense unless they can where the situation breaches the gsiur.

Bengasman, you keep mentioning a contract? The only contract I've got with the freeholder is my lease. I've been the leaseholder for many years now I have n't just bought the place.

I will be asking for a copy of the fire risk and safety inspection report and an explanation for why they think the work is required.

bengasman

GTG wrote: »

Bengasman, you keep mentioning a contract? The only contract I've got with the freeholder is my lease. ...

That's a contract in my book.