To think this is what I pay the agents for?

[Gardensparrows]

I have a house I let out. It needs a gas safety check and I have had emails about this. They have a contractor who can do this but apparently can’t get hold of him so are urging me to do so.

AIBU in thinking this is why I use an agent?

Must be something in the air at the moment or perhaps you use the same agent as I use.

I've been trying to get hold of him for weeks, firstly it was to pay a bill for a repair as I didn't have the details, and now it's to set something up. It's very surprising as he used to be so reliable.

It's your agents responsibility to deal with this, as you say it's what you pay him for. If they can't get hold of their usual contractor they need to find someone else.

It's not up to you to track his contractor down.

Actually no it is not your agents responsibility to carry out an annual gas safety check.
They should remind you that it's due. The ball is then in your court as to whether you want to use their engineer or your own.

If you have asked them to carry out the checks on your behalf then of course they should honour that commitment.

Also, unless they have a fixed charge for their gas safety checks, be prepared to pay a higher price for a different engineer.

Also the onus is on the landlord to ensure these checks are carried out. Once the agents have reminded you, all legal implications are on the landlord.

Of course it's the landlord's responsibility to ensure that the gas safety check is done but if this is something that the agent is paid to ensure is carried out on the landlord's behalf then the agent should make sure it is carried out.

Beware of insisting they organise it, it may get very expensive. I had two boiler services and one gas cert done last week. No issues with either boiler. Bill was £350 which is roughly double what I usually pay but I, too couldn’t get hold of my usual man.

Whilst it is usual for agents to do all of this on behalf of a landlord, if they have a let and manage contract, there are times when it all gets too busy and they will ask a landlord to undertake their legal responsibilities

The agent isn't the one who risks a fine.

At the moment every time I go into an agent's office for keys they are fielding calls from trades who cannot get to a job, have covid, are inundated or just overwhelmed. It's far more fraught than I have ever seen it before.

If you’re paying for a fully managed service, then it’s their job to find a contractor. If they can’t get hold of one, they sort out another one. That is why you’re paying for their service!

Yep. But as I said, at the moment trades seem to be thin on the ground. Even I have had a few calls from agents and landlords asking if I know anyone who isn't already on their books.

@LethargicActress

If you’re paying for a fully managed service, then it’s their job to find a contractor. If they can’t get hold of one, they sort out another one. That is why you’re paying for their service!

It's only their job if the Terms of Business specify it. Unless it's within the agreement then no, it doesn't fall under the agency's remit.

The best thing the OP can do at this stage is to arrange the Gas Safe Checks to ensure that they are legally compliant, then check over the contract they have with the agency.

If the agency has not upheld their terms then I would request a partial or full refund of this month's management fee.