Thousands of homes contain potentially unsafe gas appliances

Thousands of homes contain an unsafe gas appliance, research reveals "This can be a matter of life and death," says Allison Thompson, managing director at Leaders 13:18Sunday 05 February 2017 0 HAVE YOUR SAY Thousands of privately rented properties contain a potentially dangerous gas appliance, according to a recent study. More than one in five privately rented properties contain at least one unsafe gas appliance, research carried out by Gas Safe Register suggests. The gas safety registration body carried out more than 122,000 inspections over the last five years and found at least one unsafe appliance in 21 per cent of houses and flats. It means unsafe items in privately rented properties account for 59 per cent of all unsafe appliances across the entire property market, the organisation says. Allison Thompson, managing director at property specialist Leaders, says: “These shocking figures serve as a reminder to landlords and tenants of the significant risks posed to occupants of rented accommodation if gas safety regulations are not followed. “It is unacceptable that so many more unsafe gas appliances have been found in rented homes than privately owned properties. “Landlords and their agents need to be aware of their responsibilities when it comes to gas safety, such as ensuring an annual gas safety check is completed and providing tenants with a gas record at the start of each new tenancy and every 12 months thereafter.” Some 37 per cent of landlords were found by Gas Safe Register to be unaware of their duty of care when it comes to annual inspections, while one in seven incorrectly believe gas appliance safety is a matter for their local council. In addition, 19 per cent said they did not realise their boiler should be safety checked each year.Allison explains: “This demonstrates the importance for both tenants and landlords of using a good letting agents that both understands and adheres to the law. “At Leaders, we follow stringent gas safety procedures and strive to ensure every gas appliance in every property we manage has an up-to-date gas safety record in place. We can also arrange for annual inspections to be carried out by qualified engineers and ensure all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are fitted in accordance with new regulations. “This can be a matter of life and death so making the right choice is key to protecting a property and its residents.Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on. 1) Make our website your homepage 2) Like our Facebook page 3) Follow us on Twitter 4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out! Always the first with your local news. Be part of it.