Landlord fined for failing to protect tenant

Date:

28 October 2009

Release No:

YH/385/09

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning landlords to be extra vigilant in ensuring the properties they own contain safe gas appliances that are correctly checked and certified.

It follows the sentencing today (28 October) of landlord Helen Jayne Beckett, of Lodge Hill, Addingham, Ilkley, who was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £1,500 costs. Ms Beckett pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 36(3) of the Gas Safety (Installations and Use) Regulations 1998 and of contravening a previous improvement notice.

The court heard that between 25 July 2007 and 5 January 2009 Ms Beckett failed to ensure that a gas fire in her rented property at Flat 1, 22 Sea View Street, Cleethorpes, had been checked for safety. Despite being served with an improvement notice by HSE in November 2008, she failed to get the necessary checks carried out by the required date. In doing so she risked putting her tenant in danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Steven Kay commented:

"Landlords are legally required to comply with Gas Safety regulations, and HSE is concerned there may be other property owners like Ms Beckett who are not fulfilling their responsibilities and who may be putting their tenants at risk.

"These measures are in place for a reason because if left unchecked, faulty gas appliances can have devastating consequences. This important legislation needs to be taken seriously by landlords to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning or even death."

Notes to editors

1. Gas engineers undertaking gas work must be registered with a body approved by HSE. The body currently approved is the Gas Safe Register. For further information about the gas registration scheme go to www.gassaferegister.co.uk
2. Regulation 36(3) of Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1988 states: "Without prejudice...a landlord shall ensure that each appliance and flue to which that duty extends is checked for safety within 12 months of being installed and at intervals of not more than 12 months since it was last checked for safety."
3. Further information on gas safety can be found at HSE's website at www.hse.gov.uk/gas.

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Issued on behalf of the HSE by COI Yorkshire and the Humber