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Gas leak in rented house
floodmummy
Posts: 8 Forumite
Hello
My partner, our 4 month old daughter and I moved to a rented house last Saturday. On Sunday we had to call the emergency gas board due to a very strong smell of gas. Someone came out and replaced a part, and said it should be ok now.
The next day we could still smell it, and again someone came out. The agency said they'd sent a plumber up the next morning (it was night time). The plumber who came out said we had to turn the gas off and that there was a leak under the floorboards which is why it got missed the first time around. He said to tell the plumber where the leaking gas was. So on our second night we were freezing with no hot water, and my poor baby was so cold despite all the blankets.
The plumber who came the next morning was very young - he looked no older than 18. He kept phoning his superiors to ask questions. He took a gas reading and said it was 1 bar, and the safe level for a leak is 4 bars. He said we need to turn the gas off and open all the doors and windows once a day- not exactly practical with a small baby (I'm on maternity leave and spend all day at home).
The only way to fix the leak is for the landlord to agree to the floors and walls being ripped up. Naturally this has been declined. I'm not able to enjoy our new house, which we're paying a fortune for in rent, because I'm scared of carbon monoxide poisoning, of bowing up every time I turn on a switch etc.
Do I just have to suck this up??
My partner, our 4 month old daughter and I moved to a rented house last Saturday. On Sunday we had to call the emergency gas board due to a very strong smell of gas. Someone came out and replaced a part, and said it should be ok now.
The next day we could still smell it, and again someone came out. The agency said they'd sent a plumber up the next morning (it was night time). The plumber who came out said we had to turn the gas off and that there was a leak under the floorboards which is why it got missed the first time around. He said to tell the plumber where the leaking gas was. So on our second night we were freezing with no hot water, and my poor baby was so cold despite all the blankets.
The plumber who came the next morning was very young - he looked no older than 18. He kept phoning his superiors to ask questions. He took a gas reading and said it was 1 bar, and the safe level for a leak is 4 bars. He said we need to turn the gas off and open all the doors and windows once a day- not exactly practical with a small baby (I'm on maternity leave and spend all day at home).
The only way to fix the leak is for the landlord to agree to the floors and walls being ripped up. Naturally this has been declined. I'm not able to enjoy our new house, which we're paying a fortune for in rent, because I'm scared of carbon monoxide poisoning, of bowing up every time I turn on a switch etc.
Do I just have to suck this up??
0
Comments
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No you don't.
This is a breach of gas safety legislation. Next time anyone comes to do any gas work, you ask to see their gas safe accreditation.
In the mean time, you notify the council of the situation. I suspect they will put in an order for repair.0 -
Ask for your deposit back on the grounds its unsafe and move. You'll have to move anyway if the walls and floor need ripping up.0
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Invite Environmental Health to do a HHSRS inspection. They will place an enforcement notice on the Landlord to do repair.0
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If you have a gas leak that cannot be fixed for a while you should move out immediately. The fact that you're a tenant or an owner isn't the point in a situation like this.
Move out and get the agent or landlord to sort it out now.
Cheers fj0 -
Do you have any idea how dangerous low level carbon poisoning is?
Ring the Council today if possible - Environmental Health or the Private Tenancy Officer if they have one.If you've have not made a mistake, you've made nothing0 -
Thanks for your reply. So should my next step be to contact the council then rather than the letting agents? The landlord lives in Spain so they act on his behalf.
Or should I call the gas board again because I can faintly smell gas again. I'm really unhappy, this house is causing us a lot of stress and I'm worried about the effects of harmful gas on my baby0 -
Do you have any idea how dangerous low level carbon poisoning is?
Ring the Council today if possible - Environmental Health or the Private Tenancy Officer if they have one.
A gas leak does not cause Carbon Monoxide poisoning, it causes your house to explode.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-356106070 -
floodmummy wrote: »Or should I call the gas board again because I can faintly smell gas again.
Call the number on this page, right now!
http://www2.nationalgrid.com/UK/Safety/Gas-emergency/0 -
Phone Shelter for some legal advice. Whilst being without heating for a few nights and having to open your windows daily (something you should do anyway) I wouldn't feel comfortable living in a property with a gas leak that the landlord doesn't seem bothered about sorting. It might be possible to have the tenancy ended without penalty so you can find somewhere else to live. Do you have any friends or family you could stay with for a few days?
Did the Gas Safety Engineer say where the leak is coming from? Do you have a gas safety certificate?0 -
floodmummy wrote: »The plumber who came the next morning was very young - he looked no older than 18. He kept phoning his superiors to ask questions. He took a gas reading and said it was 1 bar, and the safe level for a leak is 4 bars. He said we need to turn the gas off and open all the doors and windows once a day- not exactly practical with a small baby (I'm on maternity leave and spend all day at home).
The limit is 4 unless there is a smell of gas. When gas is smelt then the safe limit is zero loss. You need to turn the gas off. National Grid will confirm, and will happily place a disc in the supply again to cut you off.
Did they give you a Gas Safety Record after the work?0
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