Agents, landlords warned over carbon monoxide risk

A risk management firm says the £5,000 fine and suspended prison sentence given to a landlord should act as a warning to agents and other landlords about unsafe' repairs and maintenance.

The Luton landlord received a suspended prison sentence, 150 hours of community service, as well as a fine of £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of nearly £10,000, after he admitted authorising illegal gas work to be carried out at his rental property.

Now LetRisks, a provider of insurance and risk management products to landlords and letting agents, says one of the biggest consequences of makeshift repairs such as these is possible carbon monoxide poisoning to tenants.

In 2013 the Gas Safe Register, Britain's official gas safety authority, examined 43,000 homes and found over a fifth of PRS properties were unsafe and in danger of causing a fire or leaking carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide is generated when a fuel - gas, coal, oil or even wood - does not burn fully thanks to a problem in the property, such as a blocked or poorly insulated chimney. It can also be caused when a boiler, central heating system or water heater develops a fault, not been installed correctly, or is badly maintained.

In the Luton example, tenants complained that the central heating was not working so the landlord agreed to install a new boiler. But the new device leaked gas; when the Health & Safety Executive investigated, it was discovered that the contractors employed by the landlord were not Gas Safe Registered.

The law is clear on how agents or landlords must perform on this, says LetRisk.

They must ensure the maintenance of pipes and flues and ensure any gas appliances have a gas safety check and service at least once yearly. A record of the check must be provided to the tenants within 28 days of the inspection or before they move in if they are new tenants. Agents and landlords must keep gas safety records on file for two years.