Gas safety for tenants

If you smell gas or think that there may be a gas leak call the National Gas Emergency Service

0800 111 999

Don’t:

• Use light switches
• Use mobile phones indoors.
• Ignite flames or sparks
• Use electrical equipment
• Try and find the gas leak
• Turn on or off appliances
• Smoke

You must:

• Put out naked flames and cigarettes.
• Turn off the gas at the meter.
• Open windows to let the gas out.
• Leave the building.

DON’T DELAY

Don’t go back until the boiler has been checked.

If someone becomes sick dial 999 for an ambulance.

Gas Safety Check

By law we must make sure that the gas appliances in your home are safe.

We must:

• Make gas safety checks every year using a Gas Safe registered engineer.

You must:

• Let the BSW Heating engineer into your home, to check and service your gas appliances.

Because this is so important, clause 3.7.1 in your tenancy agreement says:

‘You must allow Council employees and their authorised agents and contractors to enter the

property at reasonable hours on request for the purposes of inspecting the property or to carry out any works. You must allow our employees and people we authorise into your home.’

This includes gas safety checks.

What happens when your gas safety check is due?

You will be sent a letter with an appointment.

Yo can change this if you need to by contacting BSW Heating on:

FREEPHONE 0800 142 2761

enquiries@bsw-heating.com

Please let us know if you are worried about the inspection or letting us into your home.

You will get a copy of the Gas Safety Record within 28 days of the gas safety check.

What will happen if you do not let the engineer carry out the inspection?

• We will try and make an appointment with you. But if you do not let us into your home after several attempts we will force entry, to carry out the checks.
• We can charge for missed appointments.

Why do we check your gas appliances every year?

Badly fitted or faulty appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions or carbon monoxide poisoning.

What is carbon monoxide poisoning?

• Breathing it in can make you very sick.
• It can be hard to spot the early symptoms.
• It feels like the flu or food poisoning.
• It can give you headaches, make you feel dizzy or sick.
• You can’t smell or taste it.
• It is made when gas doesn’t burn properly.
• In extreme cases it could kill.

How can you spot a carbon monoxide leak?

• Sooty yellow or brown stains on or around boilers, cookers or fires.
• Black, sooty marks on the front of gas fires.
• Smoke building up in rooms because of a faulty flue.
• Yellow flames coming from a gas appliance rather than blue.
• More condensation on your windows than normal.

To reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, you will be supplied with a carbon monoxide detector.

Gas safety do’s and don’ts

Do

• Make sure you have the latest copy of the Gas Safety Record for your home.
• Report any faulty gas appliances to us immediately.
• Test your carbon monoxide alarm at least once a month and replace batteries when needed.
• Make sure you know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Look out for warning signs that a gas appliance isn’t working properly.
• Use gas appliances for their intended purposes only.
• Only use a Gas Safe registered Engineer to install or repair your gas appliances (cooker).

Don’t

• Don’t use gas appliances that you know, or think are not safe.
• Don’t tamper with gas appliances.
• Don’t block ventilation from gas appliances or hang anything from the gas flue pipe.
• Don’t use a cooker to heat a room.
• Don’t reconnect an appliance (cooker) that has been disconnected for safety reasons.

If you have any questions about gas safety or need any advice, contact us

myhome@thanet.gov.uk

Or call 01843 577575