I don't want to let gas man in

[Whyohwhy99]

I don't want to let the gas man in. I have already cancelled twice. Every year I get warning letters.. I don't want to let anyone in. I don't want have any form of interaction. I don't want anyone physically in my house. I don't even know when they are coming. I just know its an afternoon appointment.

Agree.

I don't want to interact though. They know where the kitchen is. If I show them stuff thats more talking.

Ah right,that makes sense,thanks .

I think I understand a little of how you are feeling, I hate having workmen (and it is almost always men) or anyone official in my home. It makes me really anxious and as soon as they arrive I am longing for them to leave. What I do is to keep telling myself that "this time tomorrow it will all be over and done with". I also get a friend to message me while they are there and that keeps me calmer. I live alone and have CPTSD which contributes to how anxious i get. I hope you have someone who can come and be with you and remember it will soon be over

It wont help. The boiler etc still needs to be checked.

By not having your gas appliances checked you are not only breaking your tenancy conditions but you are also putting your life, everyone in your home's life, your neighbours' lives at very high risk of being involved in an explosion. The rules are not there for a minor issue, it is a major risk to all around you.

Do contact your Landlord with your issues and see if there is help for you in future.

OP you desperately need help and you NEED to keep the appointment you have with the GP. In that appointment you will have to be 100% honest and give them the details of how bad your mental health has got and how badly you are struggling. If you don't then there's no chance they can help you to get better.

This is no way for you or your children to live. What if you need to go to hospital? What if you need an urgent repair like a water leak or an electrical repair? These are things that could well happen & it would be so much better and easier for you and your family if you can cope with them.

I just want to finish with a story to give you some hope. A family friend developed mental health issues that lead to agoraphobia. She got so bad she was unable to attend her children's events and even missed her parents funerals. That was the last straw and since then she has got so much better. She is able to sell things at local craft shows, she can go out and the difference to her life and the mindset of her family is incredible. Before they were so sad and a bit resentful that she was absent for so many things. There were so many worries about what to do if her husband (who did all the things like appointments and shopping) became ill or passed away. Now they have far fewer worries and everything, while not perfect, is so much better. I hope you can do that for yourself and your children.

When they come say you're feeling unwell and need to go and sit in the garden.
Try distance yourself maybe.
I have anxiety etc op.
X

Any sensible person will get their boiler checked annually for safety reasons.

You mention an adult son, why aren't you asking him for help?

Reading OPs posts I don’t know how anyone can just say “just get it done….you could be taken to court…they could put your door in…I don’t understand what the problem is….etc, etc”.

Think about what it might be like to suffer from extreme anxiety (empathise), and reread your responses.

I still feel confused here. I've never had anyone ask to check my gas before. Do they only ask when they have a reason to suspect a leak? Or is it, e.g., in all council-owned accommodation.

I want a world where we balance the right to privacy with the right to safety, and I'm unsure if that's happened here. If this is entirely speculative, and no one has any reason to suspect a danger, I'm kinda on OP's side. OTOH, if the gas company is saying "we really think there's a gas leak" - well, that's a lot less reasonable.

If you are a tenant you should be having yearly gas safety checks. It’s the law in the U.K. Any landlord failing to organise and pay for them is open to a large fine.

Then could the tennant say "okay, cut off the gas, I'll go without gas rather than have the invasion of privacy"?

It's not a choice I'd make, but is it a choice you're allowed to make?

(Thank you for explaining, I hope I'm not coming across as antagonistic, I've just been a tenant in the UK for a long time and no-one has ever wanted to check my gas)

You should get help for this. See your GP.

Do you think you could have autism OP ( or maybe you already have a diagnosis)? My brother has autism and dreads tradesmen visits, I have to step in and organise and he usually stays in his room while they work.

But how is that a thing. I have never heard of any of it. They just do their practical things. The referring doesn't make sense they are landlords. Not GP. Also I have covered it up for years and years.. i won't be able to explain and it looks like I'm talking shit. Especially after saying nothing for years.

This is very odd. Have you been given the “ How to Rent” document? I actually thought you must be overseas if you’ve never had a GSC.

They're a legal requirement for all rental properties. Private or council. They are strongly recommended for all boilers, but not mandatory for homeowners.

Are you in England? If you're renting and never had one your landlord is in big bother.

You'll be fine. Just sing this happy song:

You let the gas man in,
You let the gas man out,
You let the gas man in,
Let him shake it all about!
Then you do the hokey pokey
While you push him out the door,
That's what it's all about!

It's good to hear that you're seeing the doctor, and it must have been hard for you to make that appointment, so you did really well to manage it.

I hope that the doctor is helpful and understanding.

In a rental it's the law. The landlord has to have a certificate proving gas appliances are safe. In an owner occupied property it's just common sense.

All rented property has to have an annual gas safety inspection and the landlord has to provide the certificate to the tenant. have you not heard of occasions when whole families have been killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from a defective boiler / gas fire? Electrics have to be done every 5 years, luckily electricity doesn't leak out of the sockets, though the spark from switching things on/off could ignite leaking gas. If you own and live in the property it's you and your families lives that are at risk, so up to you.

Yes you could, I’ve been to many properties where the gas has been capped, but usually because the person can’t afford to run central heating.

You really should be having annual gas checks and your landlords are legally negligent in not getting them.

I own my house and moved in here and had the boiler and it was condemned as it was leaking carbon monoxide. Thankfully it was in the garage or it would have been a probate sale, rather than the previous occupants moving in to their nice bungalow .

Please tell me you’ve got carbon monoxide alarms?