Landlords are not fully aware of the regulations surrounding gas safety in the home, a survey has revealed.

According to the survey, as many as a third of properties haven’t had a registered gas engineer check the boiler and gas works.

Kevin Wellmann from the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, said: “It’s really important that only registered gas engineers perform installations, maintenance and annual checks of gas equipment.

“When carrying out gas work at a rental property, engineers have the chance to check that the landlord and tenant know what’s legally required.”

It’s so important to have boilers checked as there are potentially deadly emissions released. In fact, around 20 people are killed every year in the UK from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

The country’s students will soon begin renting properties for university, which is a huge proportion of the rental market.

Kevin Wellmann believes this is the perfect time for landlords to have gas registered engineers inspecting boilers.

He said: “As well as talking to landlords and tenants about the legal obligations, it’s a good idea to let them know about CO alarms.

“They provide an extra level of security and peace of mind at very little cost to the purchaser.”

Other alarming statistics recently revealed include:

  • 16 million properties in the UK do not have CO alarms
  • A third of British homeowners believe they don’t need one
  • A massive 83% of gas fires are not serviced regularly
  • A fifth of gas cookers have never been seen by an engineer

Npower spokeswoman Joan Coe said: “CO2 poisoning is often caused by failure or damage to gas appliances which prevents fuel from burning properly and because CO is colourless and odourless; leaks can be difficult to spot.

“Older appliances are a greater risk when it comes to CO leaks as they’re more likely to be inefficient and malfunction, wasting money and risking health.”

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