I was astounded this week to hear that the figure for tenants at risk of a gas leak is as high as one in three. After all the publicity that we have had regarding the safety requirements for gas appliances it is almost beyond belief that this number is correct. However, according to a recent survey 36% of tenants are in properties with expired gas safety certificates and even more worryingly 26% inhabit a property that has never been checked for safety.
This is mind boggling to me. As we all know it is now a legal requirement that every rental property is checked for gas safety annually and the certificate provided to the tenant. Ignorance of this particular law is no longer any excuse either legally of morally as it has been in place long enough now for all landlords to be aware of it existence.
The figures from UK health and safety serve to emphasise the importance of following the regulations. In the last twelve months 18 people have died as the result of gas leaks and 310 more ere injured. The idea of being the landlord responsible for one of these accidents is enough to chill the blood and personally I do everything I can to try and prevent that occurring.
Please join me in being responsible in regards gas safety. You owe it to your tenants and to the greater reputation of the private rented sector.
