Keeping you safe in your home is a top priority for us. Faulty gas appliances can cause fire and explosion, and carbon monoxide can also leak from faulty appliances - it's colourless and has no smell, but in high doses this can kill in less than five minutes.
This is why, if you have an assured, secure or fixed term tenancy, we have a legal duty to check all the gas appliances in your home every 12 months and give you a valid gas safety certificate. This page tells you more about what is involved and why it's so important to give us access.
If you're a shared owner or leaseholder, you're responsible for maintaining any gas appliances and arranging an annual gas safety check. Always use a Gas Safe registered engineer. (To find an engineer, go to www.gassaferegister.co.uk 
, phone 0800 408 5500 or use the text phone service on 0800 408 0606.)
This page also gives some basic safety information if you suspect a gas leak but, if you'd like additional advice on any aspect of safety, please contact us.
Your annual gas safety appointment
Each year we will give you a gas safety check appointment. If you can't make this appointment, please contact us as soon as possible (or call us if your appointment is today or tomorrow), so we can re-book it and give the slot to someone else. The checks normally take about 30 to 60 minutes.
If you are not home when we visit, we will leave a letter or calling card. You must contact us as soon as possible to arrange another appointment.
What you can expect
- We'll complete your annual gas safety check (and any work that's needed) first time, whenever possible.
- We will also check all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, gas and other heating appliances.
- Once we have finished the check, we will leave a copy of the ‘Landlord’s Gas Safety Record’ with you, or we will post it to you within 28 days. Please keep this in a safe place.
- We'll make sure all our engineers are 'Gas Safe' registered.
- Our employees and contractors will work in a professional way, and not cause you any unnecessary disruption.
Giving us access to your home
Once you have booked your appointment, you need to let us have access to your property so that we can carry out our safety check.
There are some things that you can do to prepare for your appointment.
- Please make sure someone over the age of 18 is in your property the whole time we're there - as we can't be in your home unsupervised. (If there isn’t a responsible adult there, we will have to rebook the appointment.)
- Make sure your gas boiler and gas meter, and the areas around these, are easy for the engineer to access so they can do their work there.
- Make sure you have money in the meter, as we'll need to run the appliances to check them.
- During your appointment, please keep children and pets away from the work area.
Legal action
As a landlord, it is our legal responsibility to carry out an annual gas safety inspection.
By signing your tenancy agreement you've agreed to allow us into your home for your gas safety check. If you don’t respond to our contact or repeatedly refuse to give us access to carry out the safety check, we’ll apply for a court order to force access to your home and you will have to pay the court costs. You could even lose your home.
Please don't let it get to this stage. If you have any concerns, please contact us as soon as possible and we can talk through any worries.
Your own gas appliances
We will do a visual inspection of any gas appliances you own. If you have one which is connected to a chimney, then we are required to perform relevant tests to check the chimney is fit for purpose and safe to use.
As part of the gas safety inspection, we'll also test to see if there are any gas leaks on the system. If we find a leak, we will try to carry out an effective repair while we are there. If we cannot do this, we will need to cap off the gas appliance/supply for safety reasons and arrange to return as soon as possible.
If you own the appliance, you are responsible for maintaining it and arranging an annual gas safety check. Always use a Gas Safe registered engineer. To find an engineer, go to www.gassaferegister.co.uk , phone 0800 408 5500 or use the text phone service on 0800 408 0606.
If you want to fit your own gas appliances (such as a fire in a spare fireplace), it's essential that you get our permission first, so that we’re aware and can check the condition of the installation and add the appliance to the annual inspection programme. If we give you permission, you’ll also need to employ a 'Gas Safe' registered engineer to do the work.
Please contact us for more advice on installing additional gas appliances.
Gas leaks – take action
It is really important to know where your gas meter is located - in case of any problems. Please check where it is for your own home.
There will be an emergency control valve at the gas meter and this is used to turn off the gas supply in an emergency. (The gas meter is generally outside the property but we do have many where the gas meter is located within the property.)
If you smell gas or suspect a gas leak, contact the National Gas Emergency Service straight away by ringing 0800 111 999.
Make sure that you:
- Open all doors and windows to let in fresh air
- Turn the gas supply off at the meter
- Turn off all gas appliances
- Do not use matches or a naked flame (such as lighting a cigarette)
- Do not turn any electrical switches on or off
- Do not use any electrical appliances, including door entry systems.