COVID-19 : Gas company insist they need to enter my home

Frugal_Noodle

All the gas pipes on my estate are being replaced, and the gas company has put a letter through my door insisting that between 15 June and 15 July, they will give us a couple of days notice before requiring access to my home to check our metre and gas appliances (hob in kitchen). This is an obvious concern, as I have seen my neighbours all throw social distancing to the wind, and now they want to send some random engineer into every home on the street, and then come into mine. I am refusing to let anyone in my home at this stage. I am not convinced that it is safe, I do not know that an engineer will have been observing proper distancing in his work or private life. I believe that at a time when I can't even have family in my home, I should have the right to refuse when someone I don't know sends me a letter and insists that they should enter my home.

The risk assessment on their website isn't a proper assessment. It says things like "Where our engineers have to work within 2 metres of each other, we have measures in place to ensure their safety. I have emailed the company anonymously, and asked what these "measures" are, and asked to see an actual risk assessment. I have asked what my options are if I refuse entry into my home, and to check that I won't have any disruption to my supply (beyond the one day that they are doing work on the street). They have emailed back asking for my personal details, but I am refusing, as I don't want to give them a way to take any legal action against me at this stage. I replied "I would rather have answers to the questions in my original email at this point". They insist they need my details.

So yesterday, an engineer showed up at the door. I had to ask him to step 2 metres away from the door, and he had his mask on his chin, not his mouth. I had seen him stand way too close to the two houses across the street. I told him that I will not be allowing anyone into my home over COVID concerns, and pointed out that part of the reason is that his own disregard for distancing was proof of exactly why I am taking this stance. As far as I am concerned, the gas company already fell at the first hurdle. He took my name and phone number, but I'm still hesitant to give that info to the person I am emailing with, as I believe that the person at my door may have been from a subcontracted company, and I'm not happy to let them link those two accounts at this stage.

So, thoughts? Will the gas company just back off and come into my home in a few months time? Am I likely to get some kind of letter from a solicitor insisting they must enter my home? No replies telling me that "it should be fine", or "its not a COVID risk", please. I have made my decision about what I view as safe for my family.

Semple

This is only my opinion, but i recall when purchasing my property that i had a covenant stipulating that if there was a need for a utility (typically just gas or water) company to enter my property, it would be unlikely that i could legally stop them. The covenant was there to basically give them a right of access.

Can you not shut yourself in a separate room whilst they do whatever checks are required, and then wipe down all surfaces after they have left?

I do believe you're making a mountain of a molehill, and there are plenty of things you could still do to protect yourself whilst allowing them to do their safety checks etc.

[Deleted User]

Frugal_Noodle said:

So, thoughts? Will the gas company just back off and come into my home in a few months time? Am I likely to get some kind of letter from a solicitor insisting they must enter my home? No replies telling me that "it should be fine", or "its not a COVID risk", please. I have made my decision about what I view as safe for my family.

They will not likely just "back off", their most likely course of action will be to disconnect your gas supply and charge you when you wish to be reconnected. If you are a leasehold then there may be a clause in the lease which allows them to access the property and they can choose to enforce that, breach of which could results in charges, or possibly in extreme cases termination of lease. When replacing pipes air is introduced to the gas system, there are safety checks that have to be made at each point when recommissioning the supply, if you do not allow them to do this then they will need to isolate your property from the supply. 

JamoLew

No fears for his safety then having to enter multiple homes of which he has no knowledge of whether the occupants have been observing social distancing or not.
Have you not been out of your house for 10 weeks ?
As above, if they cant confirm whether you appliances/supply are safe, they may cut you off

Frugal_Noodle

JamoLew said:

No fears for his safety then having to enter multiple homes of which he has no knowledge of whether the occupants have been observing social distancing or not.
Have you not been out of your house for 10 weeks ?
As above, if they cant confirm whether you appliances/supply are safe, they may cut you off

I have been very very strict on distancing. I havent been in a supermarket in 10 weeks. When I go to work I am lucky enough to be able to work alone, and wear a mask when getting from my car to my work station. We have had no visitors in the house at all. We wipe our groceries down.

Meanwhile, next door has had visitors a couple of times a week, the house across the road has turned his front drive into a mechanic garage, and has about 5 different people over a day with no distancing observed, and the house 2 doors along was bought by a comms company that houses it's engineers there overnight - 4 different people every single night. So, yeah, I know for a fact that people on my street are taking risks.... And like I say, the very first person from the gas company I met confirmed my fears that the engineers wont use common sense.

gettingtheresometime

Why not spend a little energy in coming up with a workable solution such as asking if you can be one of the last houses to be looked at?
It sounds as if you have shielded either for your own reasons but as I told my mum yesterday, look at the situation, consider the risks and try to mitigate them because even she admitted she's in danger of becoming a recluse.

Frugal_Noodle

gettingtheresometime said:

Why not spend a little energy in coming up with a workable solution such as asking if you can be one of the last houses to be looked at?
It sounds as if you have shielded either for your own reasons but as I told my mum yesterday, look at the situation, consider the risks and try to mitigate them because even she admitted she's in danger of becoming a recluse.

I think you mean I would ask to be the FIRST house?

p00hsticks

gettingtheresometime said:

Why not spend a little energy in coming up with a workable solution such as asking if you can be one of the last houses to be looked at?

A good idea, but as the OPs main concern seems to be that the engineer will somehow be contaminated by neighbours who aren't practising social distancing, then it may be better to ask if they are first in line ?

Frugal_Noodle

p00hsticks said:

gettingtheresometime said:

Why not spend a little energy in coming up with a workable solution such as asking if you can be one of the last houses to be looked at?

A good idea, but as the OPs main concern seems to be that the engineer will somehow be contaminated by neighbours who aren't practising social distancing, then it may be better to ask if they are first in line ?

It's not simply about my street though. This guy will have been going into houses for weeks and weeks. The work is sweeping through the area, street by street, and has been for weeks. Imagine this guy goes into ONE house, with his mask over his chin (neighbour asked the engineer at the door if they change their masks and gloves fresh for every house like the website claims, and he admitted they dont). In this house, an OAP that lives there looms over him and, just trying to be nice, offers him a cup of tea. Now, if that engineer has the virus. He then enters a series of houses, touching stuff, not using his mask properly, talking with a number of people, and 1 in 5 of them doesnt social distance. The engineer then stands outside talking with one of his colleagues doing the work out on the street, only a metre apart. Imagine all those points of contact. Imagine all the cracks in this armour of social distancing.

It's not just my neighbours. It's these guys going in and out of tens or hundreds of homes at a time when we are being told by the government not to even visit a single relative as it is dangerous and we could infect someone, risking their lives.

bradders1983

In which case OP what are you going to do if, lets say, you develop a major leak somewhere in your house that cant be put off? Any plumber you invite in will have been going from house to house for weeks. 

At some point common sense has to come into this. Sorry to be blunt.

Frugal_Noodle

bradders1983 said:

In which case OP what are you going to do if, lets say, you develop a major leak somewhere in your house that cant be put off? Any plumber you invite in will have been going from house to house for weeks. 

At some point common sense has to come into this. Sorry to be blunt.

That would be an emergency. This is not an emergency.