When you’re a landlord, ensuring your property is completely liveable is a must. After all, the alternative is paying significant fines and having to fix the issues anyway. You need a reliable gas safety inspection to certify that your property is to a high enough standard to offer to tenants. Find out more about what a safety inspection is, what your landlord’s gas safety inspection includes and more essential facts about keeping your properties safe for your tenants.
What is a landlord gas safety inspection?
A landlord gas safety inspection refers to a gas expert coming to your home and examining your gas systems. This means looking at everything from your gas metre to the appliances and ends with you receiving a certificate to prove that your property is as safe as possible in terms of your gas supply. A landlord must have a certificate, as many tenants will look for properties they know are safe.
What does a landlord gas safety inspection include?
Several features of a landlord gas safety inspection protect you from a slightly different risk. Some of the main features of the standard landlord gas safety inspection include the following:
Checking ventilation
Having a good level of ventilation in a home is a must. This means that there is a much lower risk of carbon monoxide build-up in the event of a problem, and people can solve gas leaks quickly and easily. Checking your ventilation involves seeing the level of air circulation in your property and recommending changes if there is too little ventilation in the property.
Testing safety devices
Safety devices such as carbon monoxide detectors are absolute necessities in a home. Not only do these tell you if there is an issue, but they can save lives if there is any risk of a fault in the gas system between inspections. This testing involves ensuring that batteries are in your detectors and that they detect any gasses that aren’t meant to be there.
Checking gas pressure
A gas engineer will test both your working and standing gas pressure. Having reliable gas pressure demonstrates that your property is safe, as irregularities in gas pressure tend to indicate issues such as a gas leak. Effective gas pressure also means that the property will have a gas cooker and heating that works to a high standard.
Examining appliances
Gas engineers use inspections to check that all of your appliances, such as your boiler; and cooker, work to a good standard. Any faults, such as leaks, could lead to serious issues in the future, and thoroughly examining these appliances keeps your tenants safe and protects the value of your property.
Physical stability
While testing the gas flow is one of the more important parts of an inspection, the physical products and their stability are just as important. An engineer will ensure that any brackets and fixtures are solidly in place and there is no risk of machinery or items falling from their fittings and damaging anything you or your tenant owns or your gas infrastructure.
How long does a gas safety certificate last?
A gas safety certificate will last twelve months, with another appointment with a Gas Safe Engineer required at the end of that period. In addition to completing another check, you need to keep a record of your safety certificates for at least two years and ideally longer. This is because you provide the records to all of your tenants before they move in, so they have reassurances that the property is at a good enough standard. The better your record keeping, the better your chance of securing and retaining tenants.
How to book a landlord gas safety inspection?
The process of booking a landlord gas safety inspection is fairly simple. Get in contact with a Safe Gas engineer and let them know that you need an inspection on a property, providing them with the fact that you are a landlord and some dates that you are available to support them through the inspection. You being present for the inspection means that you can open the property to an engineer and also benefit from being there in person to talk about any issues with the property if there are any. Most gas safety inspectors will offer a quote before you book, so you know exactly what you’ll need to pay at the end of the process.
How long does a landlord gas safety inspection take?
A landlord gas safety check isn’t take up too much of your day. A standard gas safety check will take you around 30 minutes to complete. However, there are a few factors that affect this. The first of these is the size of the property, as a larger property with more appliances will take longer to test than a small flat.
Urgent repairs are another aspect of an inspection that can take even longer. If the engineer discovers a gas leak you haven’t seen before, they will need to fix it urgently to stop it from being a risk to you and your property. This will increase the time the engineer spends on your property and the cost, taking up more time and materials.
Try West London Gas
If you’re looking for a gas safety inspection to ensure your properties are safe, get in touch with the West London Gas team. Our friendly experts can let you know about our gas inspections, offer a quote, and help you through the booking process for your property’s all-important gas inspection.