LANDLORDS THAT FLOUT GAS SAFETY LAWS WILL FACE THE CONSEQUENCES
A landlord from north London has been given a suspended prison sentence, ordered to carry out 150 hours of community work and fined £5,000 with additional costs of £9,814 for endangering a family with young children after he authorised illegal gas work at a Luton home. The Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES), who operate the free Heating Helpline consumer advice service, say this should remind landlords that they face severe consequences if they flout gas safety legislation.
23 April 2014 – A landlord from north London has been given a suspended prison sentence, ordered to carry out 150 hours of community work and fined £5,000 with additional costs of £9,814 for endangering a family with young children after he authorised illegal gas work at a Luton home. The Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES), who operate the free Heating Helpline consumer advice service, say this should remind landlords that they face severe consequences if they flout gas safety legislation.
This landlord installed a new boiler at an address in Luton but did not use gas fitters registered with the Gas Safe register – as the law requires. When the tenants suspected that gas was leaking they wisely called the National Grid, and visiting technicians immediately turned off the gas supply finding the installation to be dangerous.
Following criminal action brought by the Health & Safety Executive, HSE Inspector Robert Meardon said that the landlord “has shown a flagrant disregard for his tenants’ safety and put their lives at risk.”
Roderick Pettigrew, Chief Executive of B&ES, comments, “As this case demonstrates, the Courts can impose heavy fines and prison sentences on landlords who fail to ensure the safe condition of tenants’ gas appliances but, apart from the financial consequences of breaching gas safety legislation, landlords are putting tenants’ lives at risk – poorly maintained or defective gas appliances can leak potentially lethal quantities of carbon monoxide (CO) and around 40 people still needlessly die every year from CO poisoning and hundreds more are made seriously ill.
“Of course there is temptation for landlords to use the ‘lowest quote’ from tradesmen and in most cases the outcome might be little worse than an unsatisfactory job but, when it comes to any work that’s related to gas safety in a rental property, going for the cheapest quote from bogus gas installers can have potentially fatal consequences.”
B&ES adds that gas leaks, a fire or an explosion are not the only consequences of illegal or makeshift repairs. In 2013 the Gas Safe Register examined 43,000 homes and found over a fifth of properties in the private rental sector contained gas appliances that were unsafe and in danger of causing a fire or leaking carbon monoxide.
If you are living in rented accommodation your landlord must issue you with a copy of the gas safety certificate following the annual safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and you should not hesitate to contact the Health & Safety Executive (0845 300 9923) if the landlord does not provide this. The gas safety certificate must also be provided to tenants when moving into a new property. Gas safety checks often pick up a range of problems, including faulty boilers, and are vital in stopping gas leaks, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning.
The free Heating Helpline operated by B&ES provides advice to home owners and tenants on all aspects of home heating and energy saving including how to locate a qualified, registered heating engineer. To find out more call 0800 810 8303 or visit http://www.heatinghelpline.org.uk.
Ends
Issued on behalf of the Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES) by Next Step Marketing Ltd
Media enquiries to: Heather Lambert. Tel: 44(0)1256 472020;
Fax: 44(0)1256 471010; E-mail: heather@nextstepmarketing.co.uk
Notes to editors
Since its formation in 1904, B&ES, the Building & Engineering Services Association (formerly the HVCA) has represented the interests of companies engaged in a wide range of building and engineering services including domestic heating and renewable technologies.
B&ES members are subject to regular, third-party inspection and assessment of their technical competence and commercial capability, carried out by an independent certification body at least every three years.
B&ES members who undertake gas installations are registered with Gas Safe – the gas safety watchdog body – and are also members of TrustMark, the Government-endorsed scheme designed to direct customers towards reliable tradespeople.
B&ES operates the Heating Helpline (http://www.heatinghelpline.org.uk) to provide consumers with free, impartial advice on every aspect of home heating.
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