Landlords have specific legal responsibilities when i...

Landlord duties apply to a wide range of accommodation, occupied under a lease or license. The Gas Safety Regulations 1998 deal with landlord's duties to make sure gas appliances, fittings and flues provided for tenants are safe.
When letting property that has gas appliances, you have several responsibilities:

• Maintenance - pipe work, appliances and flues all need to be kept in safe condition. Appliances should be serviced every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
• Record - a record of the annual gas safety check should be available to your tenant within 28 days of the check being completed. Landlords must keep copies of this record for two years.

If a tenant asks to have their own gas appliance in the property then you are not responsible for the maintenance of that appliance, but only for the pipework used to supply gas to it.

It is extremely important you tell tenants where to turn the gas off and what to do in case of emergency. It’s important to note that having rental insurance is recommended for any of those unexpected emergencies!

In some cases, landlords have reported not being allowed entry to a property by a tenant. What should you do in this situation?

In any tenancy agreement there should be a section that outlines when landlords can gain access to a property. Maintenance or safety checks are two situations where a landlord is entitled, by law, to enter the property to make sure it is safe for the tenant. Giving written notice to the tenant and explaining the reason why a check needs to be carried out should give them the information they need to understand how important the visit is. Keep a record of any action in case the tenant continues to refuse access and you have to demonstrate what actions have been taken.

Remember that even if your property is only rented for a short period of time, you are still seen as a landlord and, therefore, have the responsibility to keep on top of gas safety.

Written by Mia Hodgkinson