HSE Proposes Changes to Gas Safety Checks for Landlords

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has proposed changes to the timings of gas safety checks for landlords, which it believes will save time and money.

The organisation has launched a consultation on changing gas safety regulations, which currently state that landlords must carry out gas safety checks “at intervals of no more than 12 months since it was last checked for safety”.

The HSE is proposing adding a clause that requires landlords to conduct checks between 10-12 months of the previous check, but to be treated as if they were carried out on the expiry date.

Explaining the proposed changes, the consultation document says: “In order to ensure that checks are carried out at intervals of no more than 12 months, many landlords start the process for gaining access to properties at around 10.5 months after the last check, according to a survey carried out by CORGI Technical Services.

“However, since in about 75% of cases, landlords do gain access promptly, this leads to a shortening of the safety check cycle year-on-year.

“If landlords carry out a gas safety check every 10.5 months, this results in ten annual gas safety checks being completed over a nine-year period, instead of the statutory nine.”

The HSE recognises that there may be situations when there is a longer gap for a check, such as if a boiler was last checked on 1^st December 2016 and a landlord makes a check ten months later in October 2017, but waits 12 months for the next one in December 2018, creating a 14-month gap.

The body estimates that its proposal would save landlords a total of £22m per year as a result of carrying out fewer gas safety checks over the appraisal period, as well as logistical savings.

The consultation document also clarifies that only gas safety defects should be recorded.

The consultation ends on 27^th January 2017. You can respond via this online questionnaire: http://consultations.hse.gov.uk/consult.ti/cd280/answerQuestionnaire?qid=657699

To ensure that you stick to the law on gas safety, follow our guide: /landlords-guide-gas-safety/