Gas Servicing

We are responsible for carrying out an annual gas service to all appliances belonging to us within your home.

This service checks the safety of the appliance. Faulty appliances can emit harmful carbon monoxide fumes or natural gas can escape which may cause an explosion. You and your family could be at risk if these safety checks are not carried out.

We must comply with Gas Safety Regulations which places the legal duty upon us to carry out a gas service check every 12 months.

If you do not have your gas appliances and gas pipe work in your home serviced and checked by our contractors every year, you may not be safe.  Faulty gas appliances can produce carbon monoxide, high amounts of which can kill in minutes.

South Lakes Housing run a gas service programme every year.  We will ask you to let us into your home to carry out this work.  We have a legal responsibility to do this work every year, so we take it very seriously.  This means we can make sure you are safe and it will only cost a few hours of your time (this is better than it costing you your life!).

WHY DO SLH CARRY OUT A GAS SERVICE?

Regulation 36 of the ‘Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulation 1998’ says that we, as landlords, should make sure that we check every gas appliance and flue for safety within 12 months of installing them and not leave it more than 12 months before we inspect them again.

WHAT DOES THE GAS ENGINEER DO ON THEIR SERVICE VISIT EVERY YEAR?

The engineer should arrive at the time they have pre-arranged with you and should show you their identification card to prove who they are.

The engineer will ask you questions about where any gas appliances are in your home and whether you have any problems with how these appliances work.

The engineer will ask you where the gas meter is and before they start work, test the meter and gas appliances for leaks.

DURING THE WORK

  • The engineer will protect the area they are working in and the appliances (for example – by using a dust sheet).
  • The engineer should take the appliances apart and clean them using a vacuum cleaner, where necessary.  Please remember, they will completely remove gas fires from the wall, check and clean them.  However, if your fire is room-sealed (where any vents go through to the outside of the building), they will not need to do this.
  • The engineer will only carry out a service to Council supplied and installed appliances.  They will carry out a safety check to any tenant owned appliances.
  • The engineer will check the flue connection to the appliance.  This may include going outside or into the loft space to carry out an inspection.
  • The engineer will put the appliance back together again.
  • The engineer will check to see if the appliance works. If the appliance passes the appropriate tests, the engineer will leave it in working order, if it safe to do so.
  • The engineer will ask you to sign a Landlords Gas Safety Record that they have filled in. If they need to do any more work, they will tell you.  They will also provide you with a copy of the signed form to keep in a safe place.
  • When they have finished all the servicing work, the engineer will tidy their equipment away and leave the property.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IN AN EMERGENCY?

If you smell gas or fumes, you should:

  • If you are calling from a mobile phone, go outside of the property first
  • Do NOT smoke, do NOT turn light switches on or off and do NOT do anything to create a spark
  • Turn off the supply meter.  If you do not have to switch on a light to do so, open doors and windows and wait outside for an emergency engineer to arrive

Contact the National Grid Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 and South Lakes Housing Customer Services on 0300 303 8540 so that we can arrange for an engineer to take action where necessary.