Gas Safe Register9780346
What is Gas Safe?
Gas Safe Register is the official registration body for engineers who are officially allowed to work on gas appliances (eg. Boilers, cookers, fires). Legally all gas engineers must be registered.
Gas Safe was formerly known as CORGI.
Gas Safe is in charge of maintaining a record of all registered Gas Safe engineers, and also investigating claims of engineers working illegally, investigating customer complaints about unsafe gas work, inspecting engineers on the register to make sure they meet the required requirements and raising awareness about gas security.
How will I know if an engineer is Gas Safe registered?
1. Gas Safe registered engineers carry registration cards, which you should ask to see before the engineer does any work for you 2. You can verify online on the Gas Safe Register 3. You can ask the engineer to show you his Gas Safe Register ID card
It is essential to verify that an engineer is registered. Engineers who are not registered cannot legally work on gas. By utilizing an unregistered engineer you would put your family and home at danger because unsafe gas work can cause explosions, carbon monoxide poisoning, leaks and fires.
I am a landlord. What are my gas safety obligations?
As a landlord you are accountable for the security of your tenants, whether or not short or lengthy term.
You are accountable for making sure that all gas appliances in the property and gas pipes and flues are serviced at least each 12 months in line with manufacturer directions/suggestions.
If instructions or recommendations are not accessible then a service by a Gas Safe engineer should be sufficient.
By law, you should maintain a copy of your landlord certificate for a minimum of 2 years, and you should provide a copy to your tenant inside 28 days.
If a tenant offers their own gas appliance then as a landlord you are only responsible for the maintenance of the pipework top to the appliance (but not the appliance itself, which remains the responsibility of the tenant).
You must use a Gas Safe engineer for all maintenance and work.
I'm a student. What should I verify in my new rental property?
Your landlord is responsible for proving to you that the gas pipework, flues and appliances in your accommodation are safe by displaying you a copy of the most recent Gas Safe landlord certificate.
But what should you be especially conscious of?
Carbon monoxide can kill. It is a good concept to buy a carbon monoxide alarm and take it with you to each property that you rent. It could save your life by alerting you if things are no longer safe. Carbon monoxide has no smell and it can be tough to detect if you do not have an alarm. The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are headache, nausea, dizziness, breathlessness, collapse and loss of consciousness.
Your landlord has to have your gas appliances, flues and pipework serviced and checked Every YEAR. He/she will be in a position to show you a copy of the most recent inspection report, and you will need to give access to the property for the annual checks to be made when it is time. Your landlord should give you a copy of the Gas Security check report inside 28 days of when it is performed, or when you move in. If your landlord cannot offer this then you should look into this further for your own safety as this might mean that the gas appliances and pipework are not safe (and at risk of fire, explosion, leaks or carbon monoxide poisoning). If you believe your landlord is not complying with the law you can contact Gas Safe Register.
When an engineer arrives to do the annual check, you should ask to see his/her Gas Safe card.
If you bring your personal gas appliance into a property, then you are accountable for having it checked and making certain that it is safe and running properly. Your landlord is only responsible for making certain the safety of the pipework that connects to the appliance.
