Are you a landlord? Are you curious about why do you need a gas safety certificate and electrical safety certificate?
If yes, then you are at right place. In this article, I am going to discuss the importance of gas and electrical safety certificate for landlords.
Landlords can protect themselves, fine and penalty if they own gas safety certificate because it is a legal obligation to have their property adequately inspected by the expert engineers and get a certificate of that issued by the engineers. Although no law demands an electrical safety certificate still it is recommended to have that certificate in order to avoid any shock related mishap in the future.
Gas safety certificate London that is being referred to as a gas safety record made essential by law for all the rented accommodations in the UK. This law requires all the fitted gas appliances in a rented property must be administered to an annual check. The word ‘rented ‘is referred to as a broad accommodation property that is provided to domestic staff via contractual arrangements. The violation of this law can lead to a legal statement and sometimes too strict legal actions.
Inspection based Gas safety certificate
A gas safety certificate is provided by the engineers after a thorough inspection of all the gas appliances, their connections as well as pipelines. Having this certificate will not only save the landowner from legal statements but also be helpful for future inspectors as that will might not be possible to check each and every pipeline thoroughly in case of any malfunctioned appliance. The past details mentioned in the certificate will let the fixer reach the problem quickly, which will save the time of both the employer and employee.
Engineers who came for the inspection will search for each and every place containing a gas appliance and search for all possible leakages. As some leakages i.e., CO leakage, is quite fatal because it is hard to detect. As it is an odorless and colorless gas, so there is no physical evidence of its leakage. However, in those areas where CO is coming out, a person can feel dizziness, headache, and nausea-like conditions. So, in that case, a CO alarm is recommended that could detect even a minor amount of this gas. These engineers will fix CO alarm along with other smoke detecting alarms that could, in some cases, prove to be life-saving.
Furthermore, a faulty gas appliance can be fatal if someone unintentionally goes near it and can even harm children severely too. So before taking or letting any property, Gas safety certificate is worth required.
Electrical safety certificate
As there are no rules yet to have an electrical safety certificate along with a gas safety certificate, but it is still recommended to have these for the purpose of humanity. The malfunctioned appliance can give a shock to the user that could sometime be life-threatening. Being a landlord, it is one’s duty to provide a safe and sound environment to the tenants as this is more towards humanity.
Short-circuit occurs due to the cord of electricity wires at a place. Engineers came for inspection, search for those cords to fix them to avoid any future mishap. All the switchboards are checked for any shock and fixed if any is detected. A PAT-portable appliance test is also being done ECIR report is given that contains the details of faulty wiring if any.
Portable Appliance Testing-PAT
A portable appliance test is performed to ensure that all the appliances placed there for the tenants are safe to use and are not malfunctioning. Any second-hand appliance purchased for the tenants must be thoroughly inspected as prior to its use. That proved to be a safe practice to avoid damage.
The new appliance is already safe, but it is still required to keep its receipt along. The purpose of the PAT-Portable appliance test is to ensure the electrical safety of all the provided electrical appliance.
Duration required for the next inspection
Landlords are required to have gas and electricity inspection every 5 to 10 years. This will give an idea of the wiring condition and placed appliances. Fuse boxes, consumer units, and breakers need to be checked every five years to ensure a property’s safety. Regular inspections will detect the damage soon and can protect damage caused as a result of prolonged faulty appliance whether of gas of electricity.
Responsibility being a Landlord
Being a landlord, it is one’s duty to take care of his tenants’ and employees’ lives and to provide them with a property that is free from any gas and electric hazards. Malfunctioned gas and electrical appliances can be so fatal that, in severe cases, can lead to death. In case of a mishap occurred due to negligence of landlords and malfunctioned gas and electricity connections, then the landlord will be liable to legal statements and sometimes hearing too. To avoid such inconvenience and to humanize towards one’s employees and tenants, gas, and electrical safety certificate must be done in the first.
Being a landlord, it is one’s duty to get the property inspected after a tenant is replaced or any appliance removed or new is fixed by the tenant. The newly introduced appliance may be malfunctioned and can lead to a legal hearing in case of any ambiguity. To avoid such inconvenience, this comes in landlords’ duties to get that inspected at first.
If, for instance, a landlord acted irresponsibly and the property caught fire due to improper wiring, then the landlord will be susceptible to legal statements. Besides this, such negligence can harm one’s life. This is not only violating obligations that are towards humanity but questions the reliability of property for further use for business purposes and by the tenants as well.
Conclusion
Gas safety certificate and electrical safety certificate is important for landlords to save their lives and their loved ones as well. So, one should get gas certificate annually and electrical safety certificate after 5 years.
