Safety Matters

GAS SAFETY


The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 9GSIUR), in particular Regulation 36, place two main duties on Landlords to ensure that relevant gas Appliances, chimneys and installation Pipework are maintained in a safe Condition and that an annual gas check Is carried out on the gas appliances and Their flues in rented residential Accommodation owned by the landlord.

It should be emphasised that this is a gas safety “record” and not a “certificate” – as many gas engineers, landlords and letting agents incorrectly refer to it. It is a record of the observations and operational test results that were found on the day on which the engineer mades a decision on whether or not the installation /appliance are safe. The results are recorded accordingly.

In addition, any defects found are treated separately and dealt with in accordance with the current Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure and the relevant paperwork (ie warning notice and labels applied to the appliance) is issued to all relevant parties, including the gas user/responsible person and the landlord or letting agent where applicable. This along with documentation relating to any subsequently resulting remedial work, also forms part of the overall record of that property for the forthcoming period.

LANDLORDS SHOULD ENSURE THAT:

All gas work is carried out by a Gas Safe Registered Engineer

All safety checks take place within 12 months of the previous check, or in the case of new gas appliances, within 12 months of being installed, whichever is later.

Records of each safety check are retained for 2 years.

The tenant receives a copy of the gas safety record within 28 days of the check being completed.

Any new tenant receives a copy of the gas safety record before they take up residence.

If the occupancy is less that 28 days, for example, rented holiday accommodation, a copy of the gas safety record may be displayed within those premises in a prominent position.

HEATWAVE GAS SERVICES

In January 2008 we were introduced to Heatwave and have never looked back. Their maintenance contracts for the boilers and gas appliances within our properties have been invaluable and their service and customer care is second to none. Almost 80% of our properties are now covered and after experiencing the worst two winters on record in recent years, we can vouch for their excellent response times which vastly outperformed other companies offering similar services. The remaining 20% not currently covered are either awaiting warranties to expire on recently installed systems or have boilers on which parts are now obsolete and therefore do not qualify.

Landlords have been so impressed with the service offered by Heatwave that they frequently take contracts for their private residences. In the field of residential lettings, our company is only as good as the contractors we employ.

Heatwave have allowed us to greatly improve the service we are able to offer to our landlords and tenants and are a true asset. They have proved themselves to be highly professional, totally trustworthy and always have their clients best interest at heart.

For further information visit: www.heatwave-stockport.co.uk

THE FURNITURE AND FURNISHINGS (Fire)(Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended in 1993)

All upholstery and upholstered furnishings, eg sofas, armchairs, mattresses, pillows, supplied as part of the tenancy must comply with current fire resistance standards. Items such as carpets, curtains and bedding are not included and any furniture manufactured prior to 1950 will be exempt providing that they have not been re-upholstered with an illegal filling. Such furnishings must carry the appropriate permanent labels to show that they comply. Any furnishings which do not comply with the regulations must be removed prior to the commencement of the tenancy.

ELECTRICAL SAFETY

The legislation for electrical safety is less explicit than that of gas safety and currently, there is no equivalent for inspection standards similar to the Gas Safe Register. Landlords and Agents however, do have a statutory duty to ensure that all electrical wiring and equipment present in a rental property is safe for use and maintained adequately. The two main Acts of Parliament which impose this are:

There are also several items of secondary legislation under the umbrella of the Consumer Protection act which are directly relevant to the supply of electrical goods, including:

We strongly recommend that regular periodic inspections are carried out – one prior to letting and then every five years thereafter. This inspection would highlight any areas in need of upgrading and should ensure electrical safety.

PAT TESTING (PORTABLE APPLIANCE TESTING)

There are also several items of secondary legislation under the umbrella of the Consumer Protection Act which are directly relevant to the supply of electrical goods, including:

The Carrington Partnership highly recommend that mains installation and fixed wiring and all portable appliances (any item with an accessible plug) to be tested prior to the commencement of the initial tenancy and a Portable Appliance Test (PAT) to be completed annually thereafter.
Our property management team ensure that all current legislation is complied with and fully advise landlords of the requirements. We have negotiated favourable rates for safety testing from reputable local companies and are happy to undertake the organisation of the inspections on behalf of our landlords upon request.

ALL SAFE ELECTRICAL

When The Carrington Partnership select contractors to form part of our team, we are seeking like minded professionals. All Safe Electrical Services pride themselves on their fast, efficient service and professional approach. Health and safety is forefront in their minds at all times and all their work is carried out to the very highest safety
standards.

They have allowed us to greatly improve the service we are able to offer to our landlords and tenants and are a true asset to our company.

For further information visit: www.allsafeelectrical.co.uk/

OIL & SOLID FUELS

It is highly recommended that all appliances are regularly serviced to ensure that they are safe.

SMOKE DETECTORS

Properties built after June 1992 must have mains interlinked smoke detectors on each floor. Older properties do not fall under these regulations. However, we would recommend that a let property have at least one fully operational battery operated detector on each floor as a minimum requirement.

We would be pleased to arrange smoke detectors in rented property upon request for a small fee.