Gas safety check & CV

onetimeatponycamp

My gas safety check is due. My landlord has said they are still carrying them out, unless there is a case of CV in the household. I guess they are considering the risk to their engineers, however I am worried about the risk to me of an engineer coming in. It is a small flat and they would need to walk in through the narrow hallway, past the living room, bedroom and bathroom to the other end of the flat to get to the boiler. It is impossible for me to open the door for them and stay 2m away, the hallway is also very narrow. I can cancel the appointment they have made for tomorrow, but obviously they will continue wanting to re-book it and as this situation doesn't look to get better any time soon, so I'm not sure that would do any good?

AdrianC

You open the door, then shut yourself into a different room while the engineer enters the flat and services the boiler.

davidmcn

Or leave the flat and throw the keys at them when they arrive. 

gingercordial

onetimeatponycamp said:

My gas safety check is due. My landlord has said they are still carrying them out, unless there is a case of CV in the household. I guess they are considering the risk to their engineers, however I am worried about the risk to me of an engineer coming in. It is a small flat and they would need to walk in through the narrow hallway, past the living room, bedroom and bathroom to the other end of the flat to get to the boiler. It is impossible for me to open the door for them and stay 2m away, the hallway is also very narrow. I can cancel the appointment they have made for tomorrow, but obviously they will continue wanting to re-book it and as this situation doesn't look to get better any time soon, so I'm not sure that would do any good?

My letting agent (I am a renter) sent us an email saying among other things that gas safety checks still have to go ahead if due.  This, for once, appears to be accurate when looking at the official advice from the government, HSE and Gas Safe.

https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/help-and-advice/covid-19-advice-and-guidance/
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/876500/Consolidated_Landlord_and_Tenant_Guidance_COVID_and_the_PRS_v4.2.pdf

Landlords are allowed to carry them out up to two months early, so that there is flexibility in case on the appointment date the tenant is in 14 day self-isolation with actual symptoms, but it does not say that they can be late.  If you refuse access the landlord should be documenting this properly to cover themselves later for having failed to meet their legal obligations.

So in other words you are unlikely to be able put them off for long.  

Can you ask them to ring you when they are a minute or two away, so you can open the door and retreat to your room?  Then once they have left wipe down all surfaces, door knobs etc with some kind of disinfectant.