ARLA urges agents to back Gas Safety Week awareness campaign

The Association of Residential Letting Agents says it’s asking its member to get behind Gas Safety Week which takes place from September 17 to 23. 

This is the eighth annual Gas Safety Week and will involve organisations raising awareness of the dangers of poorly maintained gas appliances, which can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

ARLA says Gas Safety is particularly important for the private rented sector, where the safety of gas appliances is often out of tenants’ hands. 

“They trust that you, as ARLA Propertymark members, will look after their needs ensuring their safety, keeping them informed and letting them know their rights as a tenant” says a statement on the association’s website.

Gas Safe itself is using the week to address issues including tackling illegal gas work to reminding people to avoid DIY when it comes to gas appliances and instead leave it to the experts – registered engineers who are legally qualified to make sure appliances are working safely and efficiently.

Separately, a statement from Gas Safe itself says nearly 1,300 sites were identified as unsafe by its inspections team last summer due to dangerous gas appliances being found - this is 18 per cent higher than the number of unsafe sites recorded in winter months. 

Despite these findings, a survey of more than 2,000 UK adults conducted for Gas Safe found that 19 per cent would only consider getting their gas appliances checked if they stopped working.

The organisation says unsafe gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning and resulted in 201 call outs from the fire and rescue services last year. 

To keep the nation gas safe this summer, Gas Safe Register is calling for people to get their gas appliances safety checked by a suitably qualified Gas Safe registered engineer if it’s been a year or more since they were last looked at.