Servicing and safety checks
Gas servicing is a legal requirement under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. It is an important part of your tenancy, ensuring your appliances are safe to use.
You don’t have to pay for gas safety checks or repairs on council owned appliances and you will not be asked to arrange the checks yourself.
You must allow our Gas Safe registered engineers access to your home for annual servicing and safety checks.
Our responsibilities as your landlord
Every 12 months, a Gas Safe registered contractor will check and service:
- council-owned gas appliances
- pipework
- tenant-used appliances
- flues
We’ll contact you 2 months before your service is due to arrange the visit. It’s essential you allow access to your home for the checks to take place.
Gaining access to your property
The gas servicing team follows set procedures to gain access. This involves:
- informing the tenant by letter of the inspection
- leaving a response card requesting the tenant to call the gas safety team to arrange an appointment
- making a forced entry (in certain cases)
In forced entry situations, the contractor and enforcement officer will be present to ensure that the work is done, the tenant's possessions are protected and the property is made safe afterwards.
Who carries out the checks
All engineers are Gas Safe registered and carry an ID card with their personal licence number and photograph.
You can verify their credentials by calling the Gas Safe Register at 0800 408 5500 or visiting the Gas Safe Register website.
After the service, you will receive a Landlord’s Gas Safety Record (LGSR) within 28 days confirming the results of the inspection. LGSR certificates are stored digitally for 2 years.
If any appliance fails the safety check, it will be disconnected from the gas supply. You must not use it until it is repaired or replaced following our repairs procedure.
Your appliances
We are not responsible for customer-owned appliances (cookers, for example). You are required to arrange annual servicing of these items with a Gas Safe registered engineer.
We carry out visual safety inspections of your appliances, recorded the results in the Landlord’s Gas Safety Certificate. If any further action is needed, we’ll inform you.
Unsafe tenant-installed appliances will be disconnected, and we will advise on the required repairs.
Safety checks for leaseholders
Homeowners are responsible for maintaining and servicing their gas appliances. Annual servicing by a Gas Safe registered engineer is recommended by the Gas Safe Register.
Communal systems
Communal systems are inspected annually. A notice confirming the inspection will be publicly displayed in each building.
Commercial boilers over 70kW are serviced twice a year (1 major and 1 minor), with the LGSR issued as part of the major service. Tenants and leaseholders may request a copy of the latest certificate.
Gas repairs and maintenance
Repairs follow our standard repairs procedure. Major works requiring tenant relocation will follow the decants procedure.
All internal flues must be checked to confirm pipework integrity and, if needed, inspection hatches installed.
Planned maintenance programmes (boiler replacements, for example) are reviewed annually and based on recommendations from gas servicing contractors.
If heating is unavailable, contractors will provide temporary heaters, especially for vulnerable residents.