The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) and the Gas Safe Register plan a closer cooperation aimed at providing landlords and tenants with more detailed information about gas safety.
The two organisations will enhance the integration of gas safety messaging and in this way be able to pass on to consumers in the rental sector data about qualified gas engineers registered to do repairs of all related appliances.
The organisations will kick off work on integrating the necessary data in the next few months.
By law, all gas engineers must be on the Gas Safe Register which has replaced CORGI. Only use a Gas Safe registered engineer to fit, fix or service your appliances and always check the engineer’s Gas Safe Register ID card.
Landlords are legally responsible for the safety of their tenants. Landlords should make sure maintenance and annual safety checks on gas appliances are carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. By law landlords must make sure:
- Pipe-work, appliances and flues provided for tenants are maintained in a safe condition
- That all appliances and flues that they provide for tenants’ use have an annual safety check
- That maintenance and annual safety checks are carried out by an engineer registered with The Gas Safe Register
- All gas equipment (including any appliance left by a previous tenant) is safe or otherwise removed before re-letting
- A gas safety record is provided to the tenant within 28 days of completing the check or to any new tenant before they move in
- They keep a copy of the gas safety record for two years
Before any gas work is carried out always check the engineers ID card and make sure the engineer is qualified for the work you need doing. Encourage your tenants to do the same.
Commenting on the new initiative, ARLA managing director, David Cox, said: “It is vital that agents and landlords who are legally responsible for their tenants make sure maintenance and annual safety checks on gas appliances are carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer”.
Jonathan Samuel, chief executive, Gas Safe Register, added: “We are delighted to be working alongside ARLA to ensure that these vital gas safety messages are understood by all across the rental sector. ARLA is well recognised and trusted by landlords and together we can do even more to help people understand their rights and responsibilities and improve gas safety”.
