Gas Safety Check

[Gingerkittykat]

I've just had a letter stating that my annual gas service will take place on 23 April, I am a council tenant.

I can't believe this, I am in the vulnerable group and having a gas engineer who has visited multiple homes into my house puts me at risk.

I tried to phone the number on the letter but there was a recorded message saying the phoneline was not operational during this period of time.

If they can extend car MOTS right now why can't they do the same for gas safety?

I have emailed my local councillor but not heard back yet.

@flowersandpetals123 That's terrible, I hope your husband manages to stay safe.

We had to have our entire boiler replaced! 10 days ago now and so far, so good. Try to be as rational as you can about it - no good surviving Covid so far, only to fall victim to a gas leak.

I had mine done a couple of weeks ago and the boiler was dangerous. Glad we had it done!

Didn’t know we would be helping by refusing entry. We assumed the guy needed to do his job.

I had this same thought. I'm a LL and messaged my gas safety person to get it booked in for early August (it's due on August 29th) but want to get in early. Hopefully this will all be resolved by then but I've offered him and our tenants, hand sanitizer etc. to ensure safety all round.

You can refuse this. However you will need to email or write to the council as they have a legal duty to carry this out, and the government have not issued any clear guidance for landlords on this matter. So they would be in big trouble if they did not do this.

If you can at all, go ahead as you want to have a safe boiler don’t you? but if you feel better delaying it, then do so.

My step son is a gas engineer. He is wearing PPE as advised by his work.

Just wipe down where the engineer has been.

It's important you get your boiler checked.

This was a message from a councillor on Facebook.

Thequeen, if the gas engineer has CV then it's not a case of where they have touched but also where they have breathed.

I will not be allowing entry.

^There has been a bit of controversy on Facebook today about the requirement for tenants to allow gas engineers access to do annual gas safety checks on their boilers during Lockdown. This is the current situation as advised by Council

“The annual gas boiler safety check has not been relaxed by the Industry's Governing Body - Gas Safe. This means that all tenants must give Building Services’ engineers access. There can be some come and go on dates but we cannot go beyond the 12 months.

The engineers ask the tenant at the door what their particular situation is. If they are symptomatic, isolating or vulnerable in any way we ask them to retire to another room for the duration of the work. The engineers all have the appropriate PPE and neither the tenant or the tradesperson is at risk of exposure if the health and safety guidance we give is followed.”^

The gas safety check has not been relaxed and is a legal requirement. Just get it done and take as many precautions as you can.

My DH is a gas engineer and is still having to perform these checks in various houses. There is very little in the way of information and guidelines from Gas Safe on what PPE he should be wearing.

Also, I am in the shielding group and my kids are in the vulnerable group. We are in a small end of terrace where it is near on impossible to distance myself from him. Everyone is fine and we are not being over dramatic.

*Example: Your tenant informs you that they do not want anyone to come to their home as they fall into the Government’s vulnerable people category (they are aged 70 or over and/or are at increased risk of severe illness from coronavirus).

What you must do: You can delay completing the landlords gas safety check until after your tenant’s isolation period has ended. You must arrange for this to take place as soon as possible after the isolation period has ended.

You must be able demonstrate that you have taken reasonable steps to arrange and reschedule the gas safety check; we strongly advise that you keep records of all communication and correspondence with the tenant, including emails and text messages if applicable*

The PPE in my area is just gloves. I will not be allowing entry.

www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/yhn-pregnant-coronavirus-lockdown-engineer-18108795

From my local newspaper - I have the same LL as this lady.

It's not as simple as 'retiring to another room'. Our engineers come in pairs and they go into each room in the house to check vents, alarms etc. They also ask to use the bathroom to wash their hands. If he was on his own, in PPE and stayed in one location in the house, not so bad. But two men walking through my home and using my bathroom isn't a risk I'm prepared to take.

I realise the checks are essential, but so is doing my best to avoid becoming ill.

Incidentally, my downstairs neighbour had emergency work done on his outside drains last week. The PPE the plumber was wearing amounted to latex gloves and a mask, which for the entire duration was pushed up on top of his head. He had a pretty nasty cough, too.

There you go then- you're sorted. No issue is there.

magistrates aren't sitting at the moment

Yes, magistrates courts are sitting, and yes, they will issue warrants of entry where appropriate

@SkelingtonArgument not for tenancy/housing related cases they aren't. This is what DH does for a living and everything is on hold. He's been transferred to the benefits section of the HA he works for because there's no work for him to do. Sadly there's plenty of work in the UC department because of all the new claims.

The lady from my council said exactly the same on the phone re magistrates.

From Quims link

"Then after being assured that the engineer would be wearing protective equipment to avoid spreading Covid-19, they instead arrived in a t-shirt and joggers and without the promised gloves, mask, and disinfectant.

The 29-year-old teacher, who is at even greater risk from coronavirus as she suffers with asthma, has now warned that vulnerable YHN tenants and the organisation’s engineers are being put at risk through “lack of protection and lying”.

She said: “Why be put into lockdown and not allowed to see my family that live in a different home, but have to be forced to have a stranger in my home unprotected that has been in 10 different houses through the day? I tried to follow government guidelines but I was threatened and lied to and my family was put at risk"

FFS!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-52298598

Coronavirus: Gas safety tests 'an unnecessary risk' in homes
By Pritti Mistry
BBC News
20 April 2020

There are calls for gas safety checks in rental homes to be halted during the pandemic because of the "unnecessary risk" of spreading coronavirus.

Annual gas safety inspections are a legal requirement for landlords and are carried out by registered engineers.

Some engineers have said the tests should be suspended in the same way car MOTs have been given a six-month reprieve.

But the government said a suspension would put "tenants at risk".

Engineer Nic Pearse, 39, from County Durham, started an online petition three weeks ago calling for a delay. It has received more than 14,000 signatures.

He believes going into a tenant's home while restrictions are in place "doesn't make sense".

Mr Pearse said: "It feels like an unnecessary risk. The risk of going into homes outweighs the potential risk of a faulty appliance.

Garry Lamping, 63, an engineer from Hessle, East Yorkshire, wants inspections to be paused for "three months at most".

"If they can stop MOTs for six months, why can't they do that with gas inspections?

"We need clear guidance."

Mr Lamping said he would normally carry out 12 inspections a day but a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) has forced him to stop work.

"I've got gloves but I don't have a respirator mask.

"How can engineers go into properties with the risk of spreading this virus?

Self-employed Paul, who asked not to be named in full, said he had no choice but to continue working for fear of losing his business.

The Hull-based engineer said some tenants were "welcoming us in" and not observing social distancing.

"You're touching door handles, switches, work surfaces, a lot of things," he said.

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) said it was discussing the issue with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

Policy director Chris Norris said some landlords were "very worried" and asked for "leeway" but had "not received the warmest response"

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said: "We recognise the difficulties landlords and gas engineers face amid these extraordinary circumstances and we're seeking to enforce compliance in a proportionate way."

While acknowledging safety is "critical", the HSE believes "a balance can be achieved" between protecting tenants and limiting the spread of Covid-19.

Gas registration body Gas Safe said it understood engineers' concerns and advised them to follow HSE guidance.

The MHCLG added all trades people "must follow" Public Health England's guidelines to prevent the virus spreading

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-52372535

Coronavirus: Shielding tenants 'bullied' over gas safety checks
22 April 2020

A housing association that threatened eviction over gas safety checks has been accused of "bullying" vulnerable tenants shielding from coronavirus.

Believe Housing in County Durham told tenants they face court action and eviction if they do not allow engineers to carry out annual checks.

Linda Lambert, of Peterlee, said: "I want to live. I don't want to die. It is a form of bullying."

Believe Housing apologised for sending a "standard generated letter".

Councillor Diane Howarth, of Peterlee Town Council, said she has been contacted by "numerous" tenants.

Miss Lambert, who received the warning, said she had been told to shield by the government due to health issues and is unwilling to have an engineer visit her home.

"I'm not letting them in until this is all over," she added

Undue distress'
Councillor Howarth said: "This isn't an isolated incident. I've had numerous phone calls from tenants asking where they stand on letting the annual gas servicing go ahead.

"Threatening to cut off the gas or to have them evicted is really harsh.

The housing company, which owns about 8,000 properties in County Durham, said gas checks are a legal requirement.

However, chief executive Bill Fullen added the firm acknowledged it had made a mistake and apologised for causing "any undue distress".

"It appears a standard generated letter once the gas service was due was sent out.

"I can guarantee we will not be cutting off anyone's supply or evicting any tenant who is shielding or isolating."

An online petition calling for checks in rental homes across the country to be halted during the pandemic has received thousands of signatures.

I got a response from the council saying that they would be doing the safety check even if I was shielding or self isolating because of symptoms, surely seeing an engineer into a house where there are symptoms is putting the engineer at risk too.

I didn't even answer the door when the engineer came (I had told them not to bother sending anyone). Hopefully by the time they rearrange the pandemic numbers will have claimed down a bit.

There were 2 deaths (a couple) in my village last week and another man is currently fighting for his life and his kids had the call to decide which one can visit to say goodbye. These are just the cases I know about, I would rather do without gas for the summer than take that risk.

.

ASCP launches COVID or Compliance Campaign

@Gingerkittykat Have you heard from them since?

Just had our engineer on the phone wanting to come and do ours. We are all n the vulnerable group. I said no

Did you ask if he would be wearing PPE

He won't be no