Buy to let landlord pays £1,400 for failing to check gas safety

Buy to let landlord pays £1,400 for failing to check gas safety

14:03 PM, 4th March 2011, About 14 years ago 5

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A landlord who failed to safety check and look after gas appliances in a buy to let house rented to a tenant has to pay £1,400 fines and costs.

Property investor Michael Smith was reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) by his tenant for failing to provide a valid gas safety certificate.

This is a legal requirement for landlords to check the gas safety of appliances and supplies every 12 months and to give tenants a copy of the gas safety record.

Smith ignored a request from an HSE inspector to provide the certificate. The HSE sent a gas engineer to inspect the property and found five potentially dangerous defects.

Smith, of Grange Road Bessacarr, South Yorkshire, admitted breaching gas safety regulations and failing to comply with an improvement notice at Doncaster Magistrates Court.

He was fined £400 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs.

After the case, HSE Inspector Mark Welsh said: “On average 20 people are killed every year because of faulty gas appliances.

Mr Smith blatantly disregarded a law designed to safeguard tenants from potentially fatal effects of carbon monoxide poisoning.

“He chose to put his tenant at risk and failed to take action even when given ample opportunity to do so when given an Improvement Notice saying exactly what needed to be done and when.

“Landlords must, by law, make sure gas appliances in their rental properties are maintained, have a gas safety check carried out every 12 months by a registered Gas Safe engineer and give tenants a copy of the current Landlord Gas Safety Record.”

The average cost of a gas safety check is around £75.


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Dean

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9:12 AM, 11th March 2011, About 14 years ago

Does anyone know what the legal reuirement is regarding electrical certificates and EPCs

My understanding is that electrical certificates are not compulsory.

I am not sure what the rules are now on EPCs. We still have them for all our properties that have changed tenants since the rules came in. But I am not sure if we still have to have them since the HIPs were scrapped?

Dean

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9:18 AM, 11th March 2011, About 14 years ago

Rules on EPCs explianed further on in newsletter . But I am still not clear on electrical certs

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

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10:26 AM, 11th March 2011, About 14 years ago

It is still a legal requirement to have an EPC in place before marketing a property to let.

PAT testing of electrical equipment is only a statutory requirement for commercial buildings at this stage. However, in the event of faulty electrical equipment causing harm you may well be liable. For this reason you should ensure that your landlords insurance provides landlords liability cover. You MUST insure freeholds but several landlords make the mistake of failing to purchase adequate landlords liability insurance on leasehold properties in the belief that the freeholders service charges include insurance. It is important to note the such insurance is only for the buildings and is highly unlikely to cover landlords liabilities. If you need any further advice on this I recommend you speaking to Paul Baudinet or Neil Patterson on 0800 374611.

Fed Up Landlord

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9:57 AM, 12th March 2011, About 14 years ago

I agree with Mark. The electrical side is not compulsory but I am sure there is some advice that they should be checked every 5 years. In relation to leasehold properties getting PLI by itself is difficult as many insurers will not do it as a standlaone product. I am currently looking for that at the moment. As far as the electricals go I make sure that I check them on the inventory at the start of each tenancy which if something did go wrong demonstrates a degree of "due diligence" - but its not ideal without PLI.

Mark Alexander - Founder of Property118

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10:03 AM, 12th March 2011, About 14 years ago

Hi Gary

It's Public Liability and Landlords Liability insurance that you need. Call Neil Patterson on 01603 428560 as I know he can help, he arranged mine.

Regards

Mark

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