Landlords, Check Boiler Safety

Landlords in the UK are being reminded by the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) that it is their responsibility to ensure the property has gas installations that are safe and that have been checked by a competent Corgi registered plumber or heating engineer.

This follows the prosecution of a landlord in Doncaster for exposing the tenants to a serious gas related safety risks. The landlord was fined £16,000 after pleading guilty to breaching the Heath and Safety at Work Act. She was also ordered to pay £7,500 costs.

In that case, the situation was discovered before anybody got hurt, as a result of a poor boiler installation. The HSE has committed to prosecute all landlords that have instructed Corgi registered plumbers to issue proper gas certificates for their property.

Around 30 people die every year as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. This can be avoided in most cases by correct boiler installation and annual boiler maintenance checks. Corgi registered plumbers and heating engineers are trained to conduct annual checks on boilers and central heating systems to ensure there are no risks and that the boiler is operating properly. This has an added benefit of ensuring the boiler operates in the most cost effective way, thus reducing costs and carbon monoxide emissions (which is a gas that contributes to global warming).

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This page has been written with contributions from qualified plumbers from Northamptonshire and Gas Safe engineers from Balham. Several of the company's plumbers from Kent have worked on similar issues as well as some of our heating engineers from High Wycombe and our Chiswick experienced plumbers.

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