Gas Engineer lying about dangerous issues

lookstraightahead

fezster said:

OP, I think your use of the phrase "accidental landlord" accurately depicts your situation to most on here. For it to be taken literally as accidental is a little absurd. 

As to your description of what has occurred with the 2 engineers, I'd say its highly unlikely any registered GSE would risk their professional career and possible imprisonment for the sake of a £100 safety certificate. On the other hand, it's perfectly believable that a management agency appointed GSE is trying to extract unnecessary work. 

Op excepted, to me accidental means not fully committed - just the image it conjures up. Would you want to go to an accidental dentist?  Someone who ended up in dentistry through a series of life events ... only difference is that at least you need qualifications to be a dentist. 

theoretica

For at least some of the remediation work one gas engineer gave an advisory about it a year ago - the other says it is over the threshold and needs fixing now.  Seems to me that they are in agreement it is not right and either way the work should be scheduled. 

hannahcolobus

I’m a gas engineer- and I can see both sides to this. Firstly, there presumably is work that needs bringing up to standard as you’ve had it noted in previous years. The standards do change (and have done recently) and what was once just a note-able error can become something more serious which is why you can have warning notices for things one year, and then have the appliance capped completely the next. There’s different ways to indicate CO coming back in to a room- did they classify the appliance as ‘At Risk’ or ‘Immediately Dangerous’? 

I do agree though that some Management Companies can’t be trusted with things like this and can see why you are wary and potentially not trusting them. I used to do the odd bits for MC’s but stopped completely when I realised they were invoicing the landlords far more than I was charging them, and I didn’t know. Once I realised that I stopped working for them completely- that’s not really how I like to work. 

I also agree that if someone has put it back on, it’s unlikely they fully agree with the previous engineers opinion. Turning an appliance back on can potentially be dangerous and would result in a prison sentence if the appliance caused anyone to become ill or worse, killed. So I think it possibly isn’t as dangerous as you were led to believe. But that said, there are cowboys, even in what is supposed to be a regulated industry. 

What is the stuff they have mentioned in the past? And what exactly have they insisted needs doing? That might help to determine what things you probably should put right to keep your tenants safe.

Jumblebumble

980233 said:

everyone_else said:

AdrianC said:

everyone_else said:

I have become an accidental landlord after I had to move for a job.

No, you consciously chose to start a residential lettings business.

The same rules apply to you as to people who do not try to deny that fact.

After a year of tenancy I contacted the management company because the gas safety certificate was about to expire. I asked them to contact a company I instructed myself the year before but they suggested I used one of their engineers that were slightly cheaper. I agreed not thinking much of it. After the inspection the engineer had put several "dangerous" signs on the boiler
...
Some of the issues were mentioned in the certificate from previous year but only as advisories.
...
I ended up calling the original company myself, they had no issues sending an engineer over within 2 days and he found no problems at all with the boiler, no carbon monoxide was leaking, and he issues the certificate. 

It is quite clear to me that the management company is working together with the gas engineer to get extra works done using scare tactics.

Or, perhaps, the issue is borderline - acceptable in one engineer's opinion, not acceptable in another's.

Which of the two is being more responsible? The one that leans towards safety, or the one that leans away from it?

My tenants were obviously worried about having scary signs on their boiler, as was I of course! I am now unsure what my next steps should be.

Given that the issues undoubtedly exist, since your preferred company flagged them last year, I'd be getting the work done.

I was referring to becoming an "accidental landlord" as I have seen this phrase used before for people who did not set out to become a landlord, I was just trying to to give a bit of a background not to say that different rules apply to me.

You think it is responsible to say carbon monoxide is leaking from a boiler when it is not? Clearly this is not about leaning or not leaning towards safety, it is flat out lying... 

I take it you have had a second independent engineer to visit and confirm this?

Or are you an expert sniffer of this odorless and colourless gas?

The OP might not be but the CO detector he says is next door to the boiler may have a better idea..
It is possible that one or both engineers have a faulty meter of course.

robatwork

newsgroupmonkey_ said:

You'll not get much help in here I'm afraid. Most people are geared up towards tenants and like to be passive aggressive or show their bullishness. Unfortunately, if you go to somewhere like Landlordzone, you'll find quite often that they're anti-tenant too, but might be able to offer you some landlord advice.

This simply isn't true. 

In fact this forum is about the most balanced one I read when it comes to landlords/tenants. 

Personally speaking I am neither, and nor are a large number of regular posters.  Just because you don't like or value an opinion isn't cause for a sweeping generalisation. 

AdrianC

FWIW, I am a landlord, so it's quite amusing to find out that I'm somehow inherently tenant-biased.

Almost as amusing as "accidental" not being intended to be taken to mean "accidental", but the exact opposite.