Introduction

The benefits of gas plumbing infrastructure to any building cannot in anyway be completely appreciated. That’s because gas provides very clean, extremely hot, fast and convenient way to heat water and prepare food. On the flip side, it is a very hazardous source of energy. It may blow up a building if not well contained and in so doing, may lead to extensive damages to property and the lives of the very people it is intended to serve. For these reasons, it is to be handled with extreme care.

Legal Background

Several jurisdictions world over have put in place appropriate legal frameworks to regulate the use, transportation, and installations of the gas plumbing infrastructure. Here in the United Kingdom, the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations of 1998 were enacted with the aim of achieving these very ends. They basically dictate that the landlords, estate agents, and home owners obtain a gas safety certificate every 12 months from a registered gas safe engineer for the gas appliances, flues, and pipe work that are installed in their respective pieces of property.

Landlord Responsibilities

Those landlords that use agents/concierges to manage their property are required by the same law to state with absolute certainty exactly whose responsibility between them and their concierges it is to conduct the periodic gas appliance maintenance tasks. The landlords must also keep the hard copy versions of all the paperwork as well as the records of safety inspections for at least 2 years and hand over the same to their current tenants within at least 28 days of inspection or to new tenants immediately they move into their premises.

The landlords must also make periodic internal and structural repairs to their property; repair their heating and hot water systems; maintain sinks, baths, and other hygienic installations; ensure the integrity of all their electrical wirings and appliances at all times; ensure that all the pieces of furniture provided in those buildings are fire-safe and conform to all the relevant European Union regulations; obtain energy performance certificates from time to time; and deposit tenants pay in approved government schemes, over and above safeguarding their premises from gas-related accidents.

Landlord Gas Safety Certificates

To be issued with a landlord gas safety certificate, the following prerequisites have to be fulfilled: Firstly, all the gas appliances will have to be checked for gas tightness. Secondly, the standing and working pressures will be tested. Thirdly, the gas safe engineer will check the burner pressure and gas rates against the data plate of the manufacturer. Fourthly, various checks will be conducted on the building premise itself to ascertain its ventilation. Fifthly, the flue flow shall be tested to ensure that the products of combustion are eliminated. Sixthly, all the flame failure devices will be inspected for satisfactory operations. Seventhly, appropriate inspections will be carried out for presence and effectiveness of the stability brackets. And finally, inspections for the existence of any evidence of unsafe operations will be made and taken note of.

Validity

For any landlord gas safety certificate to be deemed valid, it has to be issued by The Gas Safe Register only by reason of it being the sole legally-recognised gas safety registers here in the United Kingdom effective from 1st April 2009. The gas certificates are valid for only one year and must be renewed immediately after expiry.

Final Verdict

The whole idea of Landlord Gas Safety Certificates is very noble and should therefore be upheld at all costs. Millions of households throughout the United Kingdom rely on gas for all their cooking and most of their heating needs. Any lapses or errors in their gas plumbing infrastructure may therefore have far reaching repercussions.

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