Tampered gas meter at rental property

Rturner

*Won't be naming any companies as could become a legal matter*

Moved into a rented property on 4th September, had already spoken to the previous tenant so I already knew the gas supply was completely free and had been for at least 6 months. I raised this with the estate agent just prior to moving in and they were already aware of it. Apparently the responsibility was mine to get it sorted.

Fast forward to today, after many hours on the phone to the gas company over the past 6 weeks (and 3 engineer appointments they didn't keep, 1 was classed as emergency), finally the meter was replaced today. It had been tampered with and was considered dangerous by the engineer.

Who is responsible for putting us at risk? Knowing theres a baby in the house. And how do we proceed in getting some kind of compensation?

tacpot12

No compensation is available. This is not America.

Estate Agents are not gas engineers, so they can't be responsible for saying whether a gas installation is safe or not.

Flt._Lt._Biggles

Rturner wrote: »

*Won't be naming any companies as could become a legal matter*

Moved into a rented property on 4th September, had already spoken to the previous tenant so I already knew the gas supply was completely free and had been for at least 6 months. I raised this with the estate agent just prior to moving in and they were already aware of it. Apparently the responsibility was mine to get it sorted.

Fast forward to today, after many hours on the phone to the gas company over the past 6 weeks (and 3 engineer appointments they didn't keep, 1 was classed as emergency), finally the meter was replaced today. It had been tampered with and was considered dangerous by the engineer.

Who is responsible for putting us at risk? Knowing theres a baby in the house. And how do we proceed in getting some kind of compensation?

Welcome to MSE :hello:

We all love saving as much money as possible here, so please, don't worry about possible future legal proceedings, just name the supplier and tariff where you get gas FREE.

Don't keep the details to yourself (and previous tenant). This site is all about sharing money saving tips. Looks like we could all, including those who reside at MSE Towers, learn a thing or two here :cool:

bsms1147

What loss have you encountered?

Streaky_Bacon

The landlord is responsible for ensuring that the gas supply is safe.

If the landlord or their agent let the property knowing that there was an issue with the gas supply, and that issue caused the supply to be dangerous, then the landlord may have committed a criminal offence. It would depend on exactly what the issue was and what they knew, but they could not simply claim that they were not experts.

There is also a responsibility to have an annual gas safety check, but even if that check is done, it doesn't absolve the landlord of the ongoing responsibility.

So, as mentioned by other posters, it isn't really an issue of compensation, unless you suffered a financial loss, but it could be a criminal offence.

My concern would be the apparent sloppy attitude of the landlord/agent regarding safety and the law.

Have you been provided with a copy of a gas safety certificate issued within the last 12 months?

What sort of tenancy are you on? An Assured Shorthold Tenancy?

Takmon

Rturner wrote: »

*Won't be naming any companies as could become a legal matter*

Moved into a rented property on 4th September, had already spoken to the previous tenant so I already knew the gas supply was completely free and had been for at least 6 months. I raised this with the estate agent just prior to moving in and they were already aware of it. Apparently the responsibility was mine to get it sorted.

Fast forward to today, after many hours on the phone to the gas company over the past 6 weeks (and 3 engineer appointments they didn't keep, 1 was classed as emergency), finally the meter was replaced today. It had been tampered with and was considered dangerous by the engineer.

Who is responsible for putting us at risk? Knowing theres a baby in the house. And how do we proceed in getting some kind of compensation?

So you knew the meter was dodgy and you still moved in with a baby?. That's means your the one who put the baby in danger and should seek compensation form yourself.

Dr_Crypto

Streaky_Bacon wrote: »

The landlord is responsible for ensuring that the gas supply is safe

Does that include the supplier side of the installation? What about the gas board supply pipe under the garden, for example?

Rturner

2 days pay, 6 hours on the phone

jefaz07

You’d be very very surprised to learn how many people are taken to task for a theft of gas.
It’s not very many at all, and I can almost guarantee this will not end up as a criminal offence.
And it’s the gas shipper who has to pay for this gas. Not the supplier.

[Deleted User]

Rturner wrote: »

*Won't be naming any companies as could become a legal matter*

Moved into a rented property on 4th September, had already spoken to the previous tenant so I already knew the gas supply was completely free and had been for at least 6 months. I raised this with the estate agent just prior to moving in and they were already aware of it. Apparently the responsibility was mine to get it sorted.

Fast forward to today, after many hours on the phone to the gas company over the past 6 weeks (and 3 engineer appointments they didn't keep, 1 was classed as emergency), finally the meter was replaced today. It had been tampered with and was considered dangerous by the engineer.

Who is responsible for putting us at risk? Knowing theres a baby in the house. And how do we proceed in getting some kind of compensation?

I m involved with this sort of thing having found many tampered gas meters in my 20 years meter reading for BG and other suppliers.
Firstly a tampered gas meter can be quite difficult to spot and in my experience landlords are not very good at it, as are the majority of my colleagues . There are only a few of us in my section who even bother to look, check or report it if and when they spot something not right.
I don t think you can lay the blame at either letting agents or landlords. They should be aware about meter tampering as their properties may burn down or blow up but they re not and mostly ignorant of the dangers.
I have taught hundreds of landlords what to look for in gas and electric meters. Most of them have no idea unless the electric prepay lower cover is exposed .Gas meter tampers are harder to spot.
The last tenant may not have tampered the meter, it could even have been a few tenants previously !
As new tenants move in and find that they do not have to add credit at all it takes an honest tenant to start to ask questions and report it.
There is certainly big dangers in tampering gas meters. Every year there are gas explosions in properties somewhere in the UK.
It will not end up as a "legal matter "..Suppliers are like the UK police and like to keep crimes out of court if possible to avoid high costs which lead to no convictions .
Personally I think the best that suppliers will do is the standard £30 offer as a goodwill payment.
The person responsible for the original tamper is the one who put you at risk. Not a landlord/letting agent
Suppliers can check their payments history and get it down to the last date it was credited to pin down which occupant was in the property. It could be years ago..This country is in a real mess in stopping energy theft.Suppliers appear to be reluctant to do anything. what they lose is passed on to the rest of us to pay for it

[Deleted User]

jefaz07 wrote: »

You’d be very very surprised to learn how many people are taken to task for a theft of gas.
It’s not very many at all, and I can almost guarantee this will not end up as a criminal offence.
And it’s the gas shipper who has to pay for this gas. Not the supplier.

Good post. I was initially very surprised when I found out the total for the UK in 2015 who ended up in a magistrates court for energy theft . It is ludicrously low, eg in South Yorks 2015 , which is a hive of meter tampering , only 26 cases went to court ! Nationally the total was 1500 in 2015, the most coming from Liverpool at 250 cases

British Gas Revenue Protection Unit are on record, published in local newspapers , in finding 7 out of 20 properties they visited in a Sheffield street ( Dundas Rd ) after a gas explosion, of tampered meters in that one terraced street alone. Two gas tampers and 5 electric meters in 20 properties visited, shocked hard bitten RPU men at the extent of energy theft. This was in 2014 .
You are right in the "almost guarantee " that it won t end up in court..Personally I would remove the word "almost " and just say " I guarantee " that it won t end up in court