Gas Safety
Landlords must ensure that all gas appliances in a property are safe for tenants to use, which requires them to:
- Arrange for a Gas Safe registered engineer to install and maintain gas supplies. These checks must occur every 12 months.
- Have an up-to-date gas safety record/ gas safety certificate. The landlord should issue this to tenants when they move in, or within 28 days of the safety checks. An engineer will also issue tenants with a gas safety record when they fit or service appliances. Tenants must keep this up to date and hold the record for two years.
- Inform tenants of where to turn off the gas and what to do in case of an emergency.
The Gas Safe Register says, as a minimum, the record of a gas safety check must contain:
- A description and location of each appliance and/or flue that has been checked.
- The name, registration number and signature of the engineer who carried out the check.
- The date which the appliance and/or flue was checked.
- The address of the property at which the appliance and/or flue is installed.
- The name and address of the landlord (or their agent where appropriate).
- Any defects identified and any action required or taken to fix it.
- Confirmation of the results of operational safety checks carried out on the appliances.
The Electrical Equipment (Safety Regulations)
Electricity has the potential to cause serious damage, including injuries or fires. In fact, faulty or old wiring is one of the main causes of electrical fires in domestic premises. Therefore, it’s crucial for landlords to:
- Ensure all electrical installations are safe throughout the duration of the tenancy.
- Ensure that all appliances provided to tenants have suitable conformity marking. The products chosen have the correct conformity marking. From 1st January 2023, products supplied in
- Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) must be marked with the UKCA marking or be accompanied by documentation that is marked with it. The supply of products with CE marking is allowed until 31st December 2022. Until then, it is permitted for new products to be either CE or UKCA marked. All new products supplied in Northern Ireland must have CE, or both CE and UKNI markings from 1st January 2022.
- Use a qualified electrician to carry out checks at least every five years or on a change of tenancy. A registered electrician will issue an Electrical Installation Condition Report (sometimes referred to as an electrical safety certificate) after they have inspected the installations. Landlords should supply this report to tenants on request.
- Ensure that all alterations, repairs and improvements to the fixed electrical system comply with the latest Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Wiring Regulations.
An electrical installation condition report should feature:
- The results of the inspection and testing.
- The date of the next recommended inspection.
- Details of any damage or wear and tear.
- Details of any parts of the installation that don’t meet IET Wiring Regulations or meet UK national standards BS 7671.
- If the electrical system is being installed for the first time, then the registered electrician carrying out the work will issue an Electrical Installation Certificate or a Building Regulations
- Compliance Certificate. These confirm that the work they have done is safe and complies with the law.
A Landlords guide to the Furniture & Furnishings (FIRE) Safety Regulations
Landlords have a legal obligation to ensure that their properties comply with fire safety regulations. This is critical: according to government statistics, there were 27,000 fires in dwellings in 2020/21, and in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy the importance of complying with fire safety regulations could not be clearer.
