Lack of gas safety certification will have major consequences

British Gas has revealed that 14 per cent of landlords among their customers who took part in a survey knew nothing about gas safety regulations.


It would be nice to think they had just sampled the wrong customers but that’s not likely to be the case.

With recent prosecutions seeing several landlords fined heavily for not having gas safety certificates for their properties and the startling results of that survey, perhaps it’s timely to remind all our landlords that gas safety inspections are a vital part of being a responsible landlord.

Sometimes it’s easier to remember essential electrical safety checks just because the signs of the power source are so obvious with sockets and plugs in virtually every room.

Gas, though, especially when powering hidden equipment such as boilers, is less apparent and much easier to ignore. Sadly, when things do go awry it’s also more difficult to detect. True, straightforward leaks are apparent by the smell of the escaping gas but when a gas appliance malfunctions in its combustion or exhaust processes the resulting leak of CO, a highly toxic and invisible gas with no odour, can have disastrous consequences. Victims of CO poisoning can, at worst, drift totally unaware into a deep sleep from which they never awaken.

Every landlord should ensure that all gas supplies and appliances are checked and certificated every year without fail. Where we are instructed to manage your property, we will arrange this on your behalf.

Lisa Simon, 

Partner Head of Residential Lettings

T: 020 7518 3234 

E: lisa.simon@carterjonas.co.uk