Is a gas safety certificate required ??

losgiganteskid

If a rented house has gas does the landlord have to get a safety certificate if ALL appliances in the property are owned by the tenant ?

The house does not have gas central heating but merely has a gas cooker (owned and fitting arranged by tenant) and gas a gas fire (again owned and fitting arranged by tenant) :cool:

barnaby-bear

losgiganteskid wrote: »

If a rented house has gas does the landlord have to get a safety certificate if ALL appliances in the property are owned by the tenant ?

The house does not have gas central heating but merely has a gas cooker (owned and fitting arranged by tenant) and gas a gas fire (again owned and fitting arranged by tenant) :cool:

Yes of course they do. If your LL is such a coyboy that they are trying to avoid this - you really need to report them to the council (nice big fines!). The tenant doesn't own the meter or the pipes and isn't responsible for them. Appalling a LL would try and cut corners or even think of skimping on this and pretty stupid.

GDB2222

Was the supply capped off at the meter when you took the rental property on?

losgiganteskid

when the rental property was purchased by the landlord the tenant was already a sitting tenant

G_M

losgiganteskid wrote: »

when the rental property was purchased by the landlord the tenant was already a sitting tenant

That does not answer the question:

Was the supply capped off at the meter when you (the tenant?) took the rental property on?

If when the tenant moved in there was no gas supply (ie capped off at meter) and the tenant was responsible for connection as well as for fitting appiances, then I believe tenant is responsible.

If there was a working gas supply when the tenant moved in (albeit not connected to appliances), the LL is clearly required to have an annual safety check.

Change of ownership of the property during the tenancy has no bearing on the matter.

However, a prudent LL would get an annual check done anyway.

losgiganteskid

I believe the situation is that as the tenant was already renting the property when the current landlord took on the ownership the gas appliances were already connected and used by the then/existing tenant - hence the current owner has no knowledge of what the situation was prior to him becoming the owner

G_M

losgiganteskid wrote: »

I believe the situation is that as the tenant was already renting the property when the current landlord took on the ownership the gas appliances were already connected and used by the then/existing tenant - hence the current owner has no knowledge of what the situation was prior to him becoming the owner

Are you the tenant, the new LL, or a n other?

If the tenant, you must know the answer. Was gas connected when you moved in?

If the LL, then use some common sense and run a decent business! Get a gas safety certificate!

If a n other - what is you motivation here?

losgiganteskid

a.n.other

The landlord is known to me and the situation is as I have outlined above - I suggested he needs to get a gas cert whatever the circumstances - he begs to differ by stating the gas appliances were already fitted and in use when he took over the property and as he doesn't own the appliances he doesn't need to get a gas cert - just wanted to get views from others.

No views where people don't actually know but are taking an educated guess - as the landlord seems to be guessing, wanted to know the law, where to read it to see if the landlord is actually responsible for getting a cert

becominganobsessivesaver

For the sake of £40 to £60 vs being potentially responsible if any issues arise, tell him to stop discussing and just get the certificate done!!!

becominganobsessivesaver

Oh and this link may help, if the fittings are provided by the landlord then I think they will need to get the certificate. If there is still doubt contact Gas Safe to get a definitive answer.

http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/advice/renting_a_property/for_landlords.aspx

G_M

1) There is clearly an element of doubt regarding legal responsibility since the LL is not in possession of the full facts. It would therefore be legally prudent to err on the side of caution - especially given the grave criminal liability involved ingetting it wrong

2) There is also a moral responsibility, and again for the sake of a small tax-deductable outlay, he can take the moral high ground

3) There is also a business argument - maintaining good relations with one's tenant (especially as a new landlord taking over the tenancy) makes good business sense. Impress the tenant with a business-like, caring, attitude and the tenant is more likely a) to stay long-term and b) treat the place with more respect.

Finally - what all this really tells me is that the poor tenant has had his tenancy taken over by a cowboy landlord who will attempt to cut corners/minimise expnditure at any opportunity.

Not a good scenario!