Gas safety certificate help please!

C_Mababejive

The landlord doesnt want to do it?

Fine
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/coi-se-2701.htm

Jenny_Wren_3

Interesting,
To be honest Dan-Dan, I wasn't prepared to no so I brought some and fitted them regardless of the rules about not making holes in walls putting up pictures, We're taking our better quality ones with us when we move out.

The boiler and hob each have a separate certificate. When I finally managed to talk to the agency after weeks of e-mailing, the reply was that the landlord didn't want the expense of checking the fire in the lounge. We haven't used it, haven't been told not to but its a living gas fire that has a cushion stuffed up the chimney so didn't want to take any risk.
Securityman, we don't have copies of the certificates, we were shown them when we did the check in. It was mentioned then but ...

Jenny_Wren_3

Forgot to mention, the reason that I'm most concerned is that the laid back attitude of the agency, and the worry that if there is a fault with it that future renters of the property may end up losing their lives.

pmlindyloo

A cushion stuffed up the chimney - whatever next.

Your landlord is required by law to have a gas safety certficate.

You say you have spoken to the letting agents but have you written to the landlord? (Address must be on your contract, even if it is c/o the agents)

Have a read of this to find out what you can do:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/faqtenant.htm

Jenny_Wren_3

Half the trouble is the landlord lives in Australia and has very little interest in the property anymore. It took several weeks for the agency to get a response from them about replacing the extractor fan and garage door lock, neither of which worked when we moved in.
I have asked the agency if it was required by law and she said it was up to the landlord! I guess thats the next step, how much is postage to Australia!!!
Thanks everyone.

G_M

Jenny_Wren wrote: »

Half the trouble is the landlord lives in Australia and has very little interest in the property anymore. It took several weeks for the agency to get a response from them about replacing the extractor fan and garage door lock, neither of which worked when we moved in.
I have asked the agency if it was required by law and she said it was up to the landlord! I guess thats the next step, how much is postage to Australia!!!
Thanks everyone.

You do not write to Australia. You write to the landlord at the address he has provided "for the serving of notices".

By law, this must be in the UK. (though it may be c/o someone eg an agent. But that is where you write.

smoke detectors? Down to you.

Gas certificate? If, after writing formally to the LL as above, nothing is done, you report him to the H&SE here.

outofmoney

jamie11 wrote: »

You say the house has a CP12? The gas fire would have been looked at at the same time, the certificate covers the safety of all gas items in the property. I have a unsafe gas fire in one of my properties, I simply had it capped off.

Not necessarily so. We have a gas fire plus gas hob. The engineer only did the fire. We had to ask the LL to send him back to do the hob. The next time they did the hob but said they were not qualified for the type of fire we have. It was months before anyone came to do it.

chappers

Jenny_Wren wrote: »

.
I have asked the agency if it was required by law and she said it was up to the landlord! I guess thats the next step, how much is postage to Australia!!!
Thanks everyone.

In theory it is up to the LL but with the LL being absent the agency really should be taking this on and adding the cost to their fees.
I pay £60 for both my houses one only has the boiler the other has boiler, hob and gasfire and all three go on the same ticket.
Also the law states that you as the tenant should be left a copy of the GSC one copy to be retained by the tester , one copy to the LL or his agent and one copy for the tenant.
Just report him to the HSE I'm sure that when they start crawling all over your cowboy agents they will miraculously become a tad more helpful.

Just an aside your LL must have an address in the Uk for serving notices to, I bet thats the agency and so they must deal with this on his behalf.
Don't ask, demand of the agency that they get this sorted and remind them that it is a legal requirement , not an option.

Claire212

If you are in doubt you should pay for it to be gas tested yourself and then complain to the landlord. I know that you will feel cheated out of having to pay, but this is a matter of your safety, which is worth any cost.

It is interesting to note that the exisiting pipework should also be tested.

In my previous rented property I had a gas cooker. I had this serviced and checked yearly myself. (As it is not the LL's responsibility). The LL sent a Gas Safe registered (I made sure) man to perform the gas safety test and issue the certificate. What I did not realise was that he did the test with my cooker still fitted to the supply. He never disconnected it.

While this confirmed that my cooker was in full working order, it did not test the pipework. When I moved out I disconnected the cooker and subsequently the pipework leaked causing a gas leak.

They were lucky that I was moving out gradually and had cause to return the next day, which was a Sunday. I smelt gas and again to my own cost I contacted my own Gas Safe Registered plumber and he determined a faulty valve, fitted a new one and so prevented what could have been a severe incident. I mentioned this to my LL and all he was bothered about was telling me that he was not paying for the callout. I never asked him to.

The valve should have been tested.

Now I make a point of asking if the pipework to the appliances has been tested.

But I wouldn't mess around. Get it tested first. Argue your case later.

chappers

There is no obligation to test pipe work other than a 3min drop test and a visual inspection, if a system failed the drop test a plumber would usually isolate the appliaances one by one to eliminate them.
There is no requirement to test the pipework on it's own.