Gas Safety in Your Home
9th May 2018
At Blocsphere we like to get things done right, that’s why we recommend only using Gas Safe registered engineers. A leaseholder is given information provided by gas safe engineers to educate them on what to do if they think there has been a gas leak and if so, how to act in the emergency.
OUR TOP TIPS
Only use a gas safe registered engineer to fit, fix or service your gas appliances. These appliances include:
- Gas boiler
- Gas fires, cookers/hobs
- Central heating, radiators or hot water if they are connected to natural gas or LPG (liquified petroleum gas) supply
All Gas Safe registered engineers carry an ID card, these are a few things that you should look for on the front or back of the card to make sure that it is legitimate:
- The engineers photo
- The start and expiry date
- The licence number
- The security hologram
- The business from which the engineer is employed
- What qualification they have
Get an audible carbon monoxide (CO) alarm, this alerts you to the presence of poisonous gas produced by unsafe appliances. You should also make sure that you know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, so here are five of the most common symptoms:
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Breathlessness
- Dizziness
- Loss of Consciousness
THE DANGERS OF UNCHECKED APPLIANCES
Your gas appliances should be checked once a year and services regularly according to your instructions. If you do not get your gas appliances checked or at least serviced, you are putting yourself in harms way and vulnerable to a number of risks including:
- Gas leaks – This can occur from faulty pipework.
- Fire and explosions – Gas is highly combustible
- Carbon monoxide poisoning – Another potentially deadly consequence of having poorly maintained or unsafe gas appliances in your home.
IF YOU RUN A FLAT
If you let a property which has gas appliances you have three main responsibilities:
- Maintenance – Pipework, appliances and flues must be maintained in a safe condition, gas appliances must be serviced in accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions.
- Gas Safety Checks – An annual gas safety check must be carried out on every gas appliance and flue to make sure they are safe to use.
- Record – A record of the annual safety check must be provided to your tenant within 28 days of it being carried out, or to new tenants before they move in. Also, the land lord must keep copies of the gas safety record for two years.
A FINAL THOUGHT
We take leasehold management very seriously and like to use our knowledge to not only benefit our clients, but keep them safe because cutting corners can not only be costly, but dangerous too. We are an experienced, qualified and award-winning team who know block management inside and out and you’ll have well-placed confidence in Blocsphere property management.