Cardiff Gas certificates

Landlords have specific legal responsibilities to their tenants
when it comes to gas safety

Understanding the law for rental accommodation

As a landlord, you are responsible for the safety of your
tenants. Landlords' duties apply to a wide range of accommodation,
occupied under a lease or licence, which includes, but not
exclusively

- residential premises provided for rent by local authorities,
  housing associations, private sector landlords, housing
  co-operatives, hostels

- rooms let in bed-sit accommodation, private households, bed and
  breakfast accommodation and hotels

- rented holiday accommodation such as chalets, cottages, flats,
  caravans and narrow boats on inland waterways.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 deal with
landlords’ duties to make sure gas appliances, fittings and flues
provided for tenants are safe.

Landlord's responsibilities

If you let a property equipped with gas appliances you have
three main responsibilities.

- Maintenance:  pipework, appliances and flues
must be maintained in a safe condition. Gas appliances should be
serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. If
these are not available it is recommended that they are serviced
annually unless advised otherwise by a Gas Safe registered
engineer.

- Gas safety checks:  a 12 monthly gas
safety check must be carried out on every gas
appliance/flue &  A gas safety check will make sure gas
fittings and appliances are safe to use

- Record:   a record of the annual gas safety
check must be provided to your tenant within 28 days of the check
being completed or to new tenants before they move in. Landlords
must keep copies of the gas
safety & record for two years.

All installation, maintenance and safety checks need to be
carried out by a Gas Safe registered
engineer

If a tenant has their own gas appliance that you have not
provided, then you are responsible for the maintenance of the gas
pipework but not for the actual appliance.

You should also make sure your tenants know where to turn off
the gas and what to do in the event of a gas emergency

What if my tenant won't allow me access to the property?

The contract you draw up with the tenant should allow you access
for any maintenance or safety check work to be carried out. You
have to take ‘all reasonable steps’ to ensure this work is carried
out, and this may involve giving written notice to a tenant
requesting access, and explaining the reason. Keep a record of any
action, in case a tenant refuses access and you have to demonstrate
what steps have been taken.

Visit the HSE website for more information about

Landlords responsibility for gas safety

What if I'm only renting my property for a short period of
time?

Even if a property is only rented for a short period of time,
perhaps only a week as a holiday home, you are still a landlord and
have specific duties for gas safety. For information on
landlords gas safety responsibilities which apply to short
term lets  download the Gas Safe Short Let factsheet