Posted 14/09/2021
Gas Safety Week: Keeping our Nation Gas Safe
Swan Housing Association in partnership with Axis Europe are proud to be supporting Gas Safety Week 2021, taking place 13 – 19 September.
Gas Safety Week is an annual event to raise awareness of gas safety and the importance of taking care of your gas appliances. It is co-ordinated by Gas Safe Register, the official list of gas engineers who are legally allowed to work on gas appliances and installation.
Badly fitted and poorly serviced gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. CO is a highly poisonous gas that can kill quickly with no warning, as you cannot see it, taste it, or smell it.
Landlords’ legal responsibilities – Annual Gas Safety Checks
Landlords are legally responsible for the safety of their tenants. Landlords must make sure maintenance and annual safety checks on gas appliances are carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer to ensure their tenants and wider communities stay safe.
As a landlord, Swan Housing Association are legally obliged to make sure:
- Gas pipework, appliances and flues provided for tenants are maintained in a safe condition.
- All gas appliances and flues provided for tenants’ use have an annual safety check. Swan Housing Association in partnership with Axis Europe have been making arrangements to move the annual gas safety check programme to the summer months, to allow engineers more time to attend emergencies and breakdowns during the winter months.
- A Gas Safety Record is provided to the tenant within 28 days of completing the check or to any new tenant before they move in.
- A copy of the current Gas Safety Record is kept until two further checks have taken place.
- Maintenance and annual safety checks are carried out by a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer. Axis Europe and its gas engineers are Gas Safe registered.
- All gas equipment (including any appliance left by a previous tenant) is safe or otherwise removed before re-letting.
Before any gas work is carried out always check the engineer is qualified to carry out the work that needs doing e.g. natural gas, domestic boiler. You can find this information on the Gas Safe Register website or by checking the back of the engineer’s Gas Safe ID card.
Axis Europe engineers carry a Gas Safe ID card and Swan Housing Association encourages its tenants to check the engineer’s Gas Safe ID card when the engineer arrives at the property, so that you can safely allow access when an appointment has been booked.