I recently saw an online petition posted on social media asking for support requesting Gas Safe suspend all gas inspection’s for landlords, I’ve also had similar echoed from some client’s.
Just thought I would add some clarity and my personal opinion on this, firstly a popular misconception is that Gas Safe make the rules and regulation’s, it is actually the HSE that is responsible for any changes and decision’s, Gas Safe is the official registration body and carries out their duty on behalf of the HSE.
In the main the vast majority of inspection’s carried out for my client’s are just routine and present no issue, where there are issue’s I always try my utmost to resolve these at the time.
I do however come across a small number of inspection’s every year that are categorised as immediately dangerous, these represent a real danger and are at times appliances that only 12 months prior were fine and safe.
Some examples from memory of recent real situation’s.
A leaking gas pipe under a concrete floor in a kitchen beneath a hob, over the years the concrete had eaten into the steel pipe, to make things worse ironically the tenant had no sense of smell, I could actually smell gas from the door step!
I was called to a routine inspection by a new client to a back boiler, the flue had failed and was spilling products of combustion into the room, 12 months earlier had been passed as safe, this had the real potential to harm or kill!
On another occasion, and this one I’ve come across several times, a modern condensing boiler had begun to leak condensation that has litteraly eaten the casing away! It is amazing what damage this can cause.
Another factor this time of year is plant growth around or in flue’s also insect’s.
Whilst carrying out inspection’s I am also identifying preventative measures for potential breakdown, combination boiler’s so common these day’s much is the case there is no back up for hot water, and let’s face it hot water is crucial.
So my opinion based on my experience is that it is vital for the safety of tenant’s that these inspection’s are carried out, that said each one has to be risk assessed on an individual basis and appropriate care and caution exercised.
