Landlord Given Suspended Sentence for Risking Tenants’ Lives

A buy-to-let landlord in Ilfracombe, a seaside resort on the North Devon coast, has been given a suspended prison sentence for risking the lives of his tenants by conducting dangerous gas work.

Exeter Crown Court was told that, in September 2016, Allan King replaced a boiler at his rental property on Arcade Road, despite having no training in gas work and not being listed with the Gas Safe Register.

After the boiler developed faults a few weeks later, the landlord called in a gas engineer for help.

The engineer immediately recognised that the boiler was risking the tenants’ lives, and isolated it to make it safe. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was informed and launched an investigation.

Allan King, of Arcade Road, Ilfracombe, pleaded guilty to breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The landlord was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and fined £3,000. He was also ordered to pay costs totalling £12,184.14.

An HSE inspector, Simon Jones, spoke after the hearing: “Landlords have a legal duty to ensure that any gas work at their rented properties is only undertaken by a member of Gas Safe Register.

“In this case, Mr. King ignored previous warnings and undertook his own DIY gas work, for which he had neither the competence nor credentials. His actions were dangerous and put his tenants’ lives at risk.”

Landlords, to help you understand and stick to your responsibilities surrounding gas safety, we have put together a comprehensive guide with the assistance of the Gas Safe Register: /landlords-guide-gas-safety/

Make sure to stick to your legal obligations to avoid ending up in the same situation as this landlord, and to protect your tenants’ health and safety at all times – remember the importance of gas safety!