All landlords renting properties with gas appliances have a legal duty to have a gas safety inspection carried out each year by a Gas Safe registered engineer. A copy of the gas safety certificate must then be issued to the tenants.
However, a recent survey carried out by Landlord Action has found that 46% of landlords have been denied access to their rental property to carry out routine checks or gas safety inspections, making compliance extremely difficult.
Paul Shamplina, founder of Landlord Action, says: “Gas safety checks are not only a landlord’s legal obligation, but they are also imperative to ensuring the safety of the property and the tenants living there. Of course, sometimes it comes down to when is convenient, but when tenants continually deny access, it becomes a real problem.”
Landlord Action is currently in the process of putting forward a case for introducing a discretionary ground for possession of unreasonably refusing landlords access for inspections. This would help give landlords the necessary authority when requesting access.
Paul concludes: “As the market evolves and the balance of power shifts towards the tenant, landlords are contacting us with increasingly complex legal challenges, which are likely to broaden in the future as the sector reforms. We already offer access injunctions to complete gas safety checks and are currently looking at what other support landlords may need."
