Gas Safety Certificate – Edinburgh


What are Landlords Gas Safety responsibilities?


Landlord’s Gas Safety Certificate – Edinburgh (CP12 Certificate) 

Book a Gas Safe registered gas engineer for a Gas Safety Certificate in Edinburgh. CLICK HERE, call us on 0131 315 0000 or use the form on this page.

Read on to find out; what landlord’s responsibilities are, how a Gas Safety Certificate check differs from a boiler service, who carries them out and what happens if an appliance is deemed unsafe.

Gas Safety Certificate – Edinburgh Landlord’s Responsibilities

It’s a landlord’s responsibility to ensure a Gas Safety Check is carried out, and a Gas Safety Certificate is issued, annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Before any new lease starts a copy of the Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) should be provided to each tenant and a copy left in the property.

A record of the safety inspection, AND any remedial work done, must be kept by the landlord for two years. This must be given to existing tenants within 28 days of the check being completed.

Responsibility for arranging the Gas Safety Certificate in Edinburgh cannot be delegated to tenants. Tenants are responsible for their own gas appliances but not for gas pipes or flues that are an integral part of the landlord’s property.

When a letting agent is used, the contract between the landlord and agent should specify who is responsible for carrying out the maintenance and safety check duties and keeping associated records. If the contract specifies that the agent has responsibility then the same duties that apply to a landlord apply to the agent.

Failure to obtain a Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) can result in a £600.00 fine for each item and/or 6 months imprisonment. (Read More Here)

What is involved in a Landlord Gas Safety Check?

As a minimum, the record of a gas safety check must contain:

  • A description of and the location of each appliance or flue checked.
  • Name, registration number and signature of the individual carrying out the check.
  • Date on which the appliance or flue was checked.
  • Address of the property at which the appliance is installed.
  • Landlord’s name and address or their agent where appropriate.
  • Any safety-related defect identified and any remedial action taken.
  • Confirmation that following any work on a gas appliance that the flue, gas pressure and air combustion as well as overall operation of the appliance have been checked.

A gas safety check includes some elements of work covered by a Boiler Service. However it differs in that a boiler service usually involves an ongoing programme of regular/periodic inspections. Boiler manufactures supply specific instructions on the servicing of their products but it should include as a minimum:

  • Examination of the physical condition and safe functioning of appliance(s), installation pipework, ventilation and any flue for deterioration
  • Carrying out performance tests
  • Taking the necessary remedial action
  • Read more on what a Boiler Service includes HERE

A Gas Safety Certificate will only issued once all the required checks have been completed. A Gas Engineer must satisfy themselves that al applicable regulations have been complied with. If any faults or concerns are found as a result of the check, landlords must take the appropriate action and ensure that the appliance is not used if it is unsafe.

What if a gas appliance is turned off?

When a gas engineer turns off an appliance during a gas safety check it is because they deem it to be unsafe. It should not be used. This is because no matter how inconvenient the situation is for the tenant such action helps to ensure their safety. In exceptional circumstances a letter from the landlord and tenant to the gas engineer absolving them of all responsibility can be written. However, this is at the discretion of the engineer and they may decline.

If a heating appliance has been disconnected a landlord is usually obliged, under the terms of a tenancy agreement, to provide tenants with some form of heating whilst arranging for appropriate remedial work..

The gas safety check record is an active document and landlords should supplement it with records of any follow up action taken. This would provide a full record of the gas safety within the property.

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