If you are renting properties that have gas appliances or fittings, you will have to follow legal guidelines under the Gas Safety Regulations 1998. These guidelines apply whether you are renting short or long-term.
Your responsibilities as a Landlord:
You must keep all gas appliances and pipework in safe working order. You will need to get them serviced by a gas safe engineer at least once a year. You will also need a gas safe engineer to run annual safety checks on the gas in your property. If you are a private landlord, you must keep a record of your safety checks that should be shown to the tenant before signing any contracts to stay in your property.
Your tenant’s responsibilities:
You are not responsible for any of the gas appliances that tenants bring with them to the property. However, you are still responsible for the safety of the fitting and pipework used to power them. When you draw up a tenancy agreement, make sure you receive permission from the tenant to access the property so you can carry out essential maintenance and gas safety checks. If your tenant is refusing your access, keep a detailed record that you can show authorities so they know you have done all you can to keep the property gas safe.
Gas safety is one your biggest responsibilities as a landlord so it’s very important that you know what you need to do.
