Importance of gas safety certificates

A gas safety certificate is are a legal requirement for any landlord wishing to rent out a property. The certificate proves that all gas appliances in the property conform to safety standards and is working properly.

A check from a gas safe registered engineer needs to take place on an annual basis, and a gas safety certificate will be issued on completion.

A gas safety certificate will usually contain:- Description and location of each appliance- Notes on any defective appliances and what action was taken to correct it- Date on which it was checked- Name and signature of the engineer who carried out the checks- Address of the property- Name and address of the landlord or owner of the property- Confirmation of results

It is possible that a gas safety check will throw up information which needs to be recorded on the gas safety certificate, such as a flue not working or a gas fire not igniting properly. Often, the engineer will be able to shut off the valve and disable the appliance. This will enable them to issue a gas safety certificate as the threat to safety has been dealt with, allowing the landlord to decide whether to fully replace the appliance or just leave it as ‘not working’.

A gas safety certificate does not just protect tenants, with it also being a binding document if any problems do occur at a later date, thereby protecting landlords from blame and potential court costs. So, don’t leave it to chance, get AA Gas Services to issue you with a gas safety certificate. Better to be safe than sorry.