The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 specifically deal with the installation, maintenance and use of gas appliances, fittings and flues in domestic and certain commercial premises. They place duties on Landlords to ensure that gas appliances, fittings and flues provided for tenants’ use are safe.
The LCC Gas Safety Policy
Leicester City Council will comply with the duties placed upon it as a Landlord under The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.
Operational delivery
In order to fully comply with this legislation, the Housing Services Division has established a Gas Servicing Department, which employs its own direct labour team of fully qualified and ‘Gas Safe’ Registered Gas Service Engineers. They are responsible for roughly 40,000 gas appliances in over 22,000 council homes across the city.
The Gas Servicing Department is responsible for the following:
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Annual Gas Safety Checks to all LCC owned gas appliances
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Responsive repairs to all LCC owned gas appliances
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Installation and replacement of LCC owned gas appliances
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Training and assessment of all LCC Gas Safe Registered Gas Service Engineers
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Promoting gas safety awareness for all LCC tenants
Annual Gas Safety Checks to LCC owned gas appliances
The Housing Services are responsible for carrying out annual gas safety checks of all gas appliances belonging to the City Council in our properties.
When the annual check is due we send an appointment card suggesting an appointment time. This can be re-arranged to suit you. Our engineer will then call round at the arranged time to do the work. If the tenant is not in, the engineer will leave a card, asking them to contact us to arrange another appointment.
If we don’t hear from the tenant, we will make a second appointment.
If we still fail to gain access, we send a letter explaining why it is vital that the safety check is carried out which asks them to get in touch.
If we still hear nothing, we then issue a formal ‘final notice’, warning the tenant that we will start proceedings to gain entry to the property.
Gain entry procedure
There is a legal requirement for Leicester City Council to undertake an annual gas safety check on appliances that they maintain or have fitted in the dwelling house.
On some occasions, access to the dwelling–house is not allowed by the tenant(s). On such occasions, when the Gas Servicing Procedure has been fully utilised and access is now required, Leicester City Council will rely on the Conditions of Tenancy to facilitate access. The Conditions of Tenancy, being a legal document between the tenant(s) and Leicester City Council. Any breach of these conditions can instigate litigation by service of a Notice of Possession Proceedings as prescribed and defined n the Housing Act 1985 (Grounds for Possession Schedule 2):
The Grounds on which a Court may order possession, if it considers it reasonable are, Part 1, Ground 1 reads:
Rent lawfully due from the tenant has not been paid or an obligation of the tenancy has been broken or not performed.
In such severe circumstances rather than seek full possession of the dwelling the Council will seek to obtain an injunction, which would allow access.
In reference to ‘The Conditions of Tenancy ‘(last revised April 2007) access is defined as
Clause 26 of your Conditions of Tenancy - Access - Annual gas service. Every year, we must service appliances we fit in your home. For example, a gas fire, a gas boiler, a gas cooker, wired in smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors. We will send you an appointment letter.
In an emergency: An emergency is
- When we think a person or you home will be unsafe if the work is not done.
- When we have sent you several appointment letters and you have repeatedly not let us into your home.
We will get into your home anyway we can. When we have finished we will make sure your home is secure.
If in the end we are forced to break in to carry out the safety checks, the tenant will be charged for the cost of gaining entry.
Responsive repairs to all LCC owned gas appliances
Our gas engineers handle repairs to central heating systems and boilers, gas fires and cookers. They only deal with gas fires and cookers if they have been installed by and belong to the city council - the repair and servicing of tenants’ own gas appliances are their own responsibility.
Tenants should report gas repairs needed to appliances belonging to the council through our repairs call centre: (0116) 252 7007. The lines are open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 8.00pm, and Saturday 8.30am to 4.30pm.
When the call centre is closed, tenants can use our emergency number: (0116) 254 9439.
Installation and replacement of LCC owned gas appliances
Each year we replace around 1000 central heating boilers in our homes. Most of these boilers are changed because they have become too inefficient and are replaced with more modern high efficiency condensing combination type central heating boilers.
Gas training and assessment of all LCC Gas Safe Registered Gas Service Engineers
LCC Housing Services Division runs it’s own gas training & assessment centre from its Blackbird Road site. The centre is approved by the British Plumbing Employers Council, (BPEC) and it ensures that all LCC operatives carrying out gas work are qualified and assessed regularly to industry-recognised standards.
Only those gas service engineers that have been assessed by an approved organisation such as BPEC can be registered with Gas Safe, and legally allowed to carry out gas work.
For more information on the British Plumbing Employers Council (BPEC), please use the following link: www.bpec.org.uk
Regular training programmes run from our gas training and assessment centre ensure that all our engineers maintain, refresh and update their skills in fault diagnosis and safe working practices.
Promoting gas safety awareness for all LCC tenants
Gas is a safe fuel if it is used correctly and treated with respect.
If tenants think there is a gas leak in their home (or nearby) they must contact National Grid Transco at once - telephone 0800 111 999.
In the mean time:
- turn the gas off at the meter
- open the windows and doors to let the gas out
- extinguish any naked flames
- do not turn any electrical switches or sockets on or off
- get in touch with National Grid Transco at once (telephone 0800 111 999).
Tenants are asked:
to let our engineers into their homes to carry out our annual safety checks
to report any problems with appliances at once to our repairs call centre - telephone (0116) 252 7007
to report any gas leaks at once to National Grid Transco - telephone 0800 111 999
to be very cautious about buying second-hand gas appliances and always buy from a very reputable company
not to reduce or block the ventilation to gas appliances
not to block gas flues or chimneys taking any poisonous fumes away from gas appliances
to be alert for any signs of carbon monoxide leaks, and report them at once to our repairs call centre on (0116) 252 7007
not to carry out any ‘do-it-yourself’ work to install or repair gas appliances - leave it to the experts. Apart from being very dangerous, you could also be breaking the law.
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas, which has no colour, taste or smell. Exposure to quite low levels can cause brain damage or death.
The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are similar to those of flu and other virus infections. They include drowsiness, weakness, headaches, nausea and pains in the chest.
If anyone in your home has any of these symptoms while a gas appliance is being used, stop using the appliance until it has been checked and consult a doctor.
Carbon monoxide poisoning can affect the way the brain works, so people affected can’t always tell that anything is wrong or take any action before it’s too late.
Carbon monoxide can build up to lethal levels in a home because:
faulty appliances are not repaired or replaced
flues are blocked or not working properly
not enough air is getting in to the building to keep the gas burning properly in the appliance
Carbon monoxide detectors
As an extra safety measure, the Housing Services Division installs carbon monoxide detectors in all its properties where gas appliances are fitted or where solid fuel chimneys are present.
Related information go to www.gassaferegister.co.uk for more information about gas safety.
