Gas Safety Certificate Problem

GDB2222

I arranged a gas safety check, but the engineer phoned from the site to say the check cannot go ahead as the meter is not working. The valve works, but the meter is not measuring the gas.

The engineer says that part of his process is to check that the gas being used is in line with the appliances working correctly, and he needs a working meter to do that.

I am not named as the gas consumer, so I can't get the meter changed. The tenants like it that the meter is broken, and they are not being charged for gas. In the meantime, there's no gas safety certificate in place.

Anybody got any bright ideas, please?

badger09

Not that I'm recommending it, but could you phone the supplier, anonymously, and say you suspect that someone @ 'property address' might be using gas for which they're not being charged? Might spur the supplier to check & change the faulty meter?

Ant555

Are you the landlord/property owner?

It seems that the tenants are not paying for gas and seem to have indicated that they wouldnt make a big noise due to a lack of safety certificate but someone else certainly would make a big noise and take you to court if your tenants were injured (or worse) due to the appliance malfunctioning and there was no safety cert.

The HSE web site offers some advice on this link.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/faqlandlord.htm

It gets a bit wooly but the advice includes this

• HSE inspectors will look for at least three attempts to complete the gas safety check, including the above suggestions; however the approach will need to be appropriate to each circumstance. It would ultimately be for a court to decide if the action taken was reasonable depending upon the individual circumstances.

FreeBear

GDB2222 said: The tenants like it that the meter is broken, and they are not being charged for gas. In the meantime, there's no gas safety certificate in place.

Anybody got any bright ideas, please?

You could report it as energy theft (which it is) https://www.stayenergysafe.co.uk/report-energy-crime/

When the energy supplier finds out, they can, and will issue a bill and use estimated readings. The tenants could be in for a really nasty shock.

GDB2222

FreeBear said:

GDB2222 said: The tenants like it that the meter is broken, and they are not being charged for gas. In the meantime, there's no gas safety certificate in place.

Anybody got any bright ideas, please?

You could report it as energy theft (which it is) https://www.stayenergysafe.co.uk/report-energy-crime/

When the energy supplier finds out, they can, and will issue a bill and use estimated readings. The tenants could be in for a really nasty shock.

To be fair to them, they only found out that the meter is broken an hour ago. They may well ask for a new meter, eventually, but they have no incentive to do so rapidly!

rob7475

It'll catch up with them eventually. Surely the fact that they're submitting the same reading monthly will trigger something at the suppliers end - unless they are on a prepayment meter?

Bendy_House

I wasn't aware that checking the meter accuracy was part of a LL Gas Safety Cert, but happy to be corrected.

There's clearly some flexibility in the GSC timings - they were often significantly delayed during lockdowns, for example - but the responsibility is yours to take all reasonable steps to have it carried out asap. And, as said above, you don't want to be caught with yer troosers doon should anything gassie go wrong. AND there must always be the suspicion that the tenants are responsible for the meter being faulty - I'm not at all suggesting they are, but it has to be considered. And the reason it needs especially considering in this case is that if they have done something to nobble the meter - which must surely be highly dodgy/risky - then the likelihood of summat gassie going wrong must surely be increased?

That's a worst case scenario, of course.

Cover yourself, GDB - leave a paper trail. I'd email the tenants (is that how you communicate?) and tell them that it's a legal requirement for you to have the GS inspection carried out and a GSC issued, and that it's done for the tenant's own safety. They must, therefore, inform their supplier that the meter is suspected of being faulty, and to have the meter checked. This must be done by X date - give them, say, 2 weeks(?)  so that the GSC can be issued promptly. Ask them to confirm to you when this has been reported and when the work has been done, so you can then rebook your GasSafe.

It would take a brass neck for a tenant to fail to do this, knowing you are arranging another GS inspection. Apparently, tenants 'should contact your supplier to investigate the problem with your meter. From the day you tell your supplier about the problem, they have 5 working days to update you.' So, if you give the tenants 2 weeks, the whole caboodle should be done and dusted within 3.

If they prevaricate or procrastinate at the end of 3 weeks, you 'shop' them as FB suggests; they will have no-one but themselves to blame, and the bottom line is that you cannot delay having this task carried out.

jefaz07

Bendy_House said:

I wasn't aware that checking the meter accuracy was part of a LL Gas Safety Cert, but happy to be corrected.

There's clearly some flexibility in the GSC timings - they were often significantly delayed during lockdowns, for example - but the responsibility is yours to take all reasonable steps to have it carried out asap. And, as said above, you don't want to be caught with yer troosers doon should anything gassie go wrong. AND there must always be the suspicion that the tenants are responsible for the meter being faulty - I'm not at all suggesting they are, but it has to be considered. And the reason it needs especially considering in this case is that if they have done something to nobble the meter - which must surely be highly dodgy/risky - then the likelihood of summat gassie going wrong must surely be increased?

That's a worst case scenario, of course.

Cover yourself, GDB - leave a paper trail. I'd email the tenants (is that how you communicate?) and tell them that it's a legal requirement for you to have the GS inspection carried out and a GSC issued, and that it's done for the tenant's own safety. They must, therefore, inform their supplier that the meter is suspected of being faulty, and to have the meter checked. This must be done by X date - give them, say, 2 weeks(?)  so that the GSC can be issued promptly. Ask them to confirm to you when this has been reported and when the work has been done, so you can then rebook your GasSafe.

It would take a brass neck for a tenant to fail to do this, knowing you are arranging another GS inspection. Apparently, tenants 'should contact your supplier to investigate the problem with your meter. From the day you tell your supplier about the problem, they have 5 working days to update you.' So, if you give the tenants 2 weeks, the whole caboodle should be done and dusted within 3.

If they prevaricate or procrastinate at the end of 3 weeks, you 'shop' them as FB suggests; they will have no-one but themselves to blame, and the bottom line is that you cannot delay having this task carried out.

It’s not the accuracy of the meter he needs to check. It’s the accuracy of the amount of gas the boiler is burning.