Annual Gas Safety Checks
Annual safety checks – keeping you safe
Yearly safety checks are carried out on all council owned gas appliances to make sure that they are in a safe condition. The checks include:
- Gas boilers
- Gas fires
- All pipe work
- Meters
Faulty appliances can cause explosions and can give off poisonous carbon monoxide fumes. The Council has a legal duty to make sure all of its gas appliances are checked every year by certified gas engineers.
Council tenants have a legal duty to allow council staff into their homes to carry out these annual checks. If access to a property is not permitted the Council are within their rights to take legal action.
Fully qualified gas engineers from Swale Heating are on hand to fix and maintain the 4,400 gas appliances in council homes across the borough.
They handle repairs on central heating systems, boilers and gas fires and deal with council owned and installed cookers.
Tenants are asked:
- To let council engineers into their homes to carry out annual safety checks.
- To report any problems with appliances at once, to the Housing Support Team and report any gas leaks at once, to Transco.
- To be very cautious about buying second-hand gas appliances and always buy from a very reputable company.
- Not to reduce or block the ventilation to gas appliances.
- Not to block gas flues or chimneys.
- Be alert for any signs of carbon monoxide leaks.
- Not to carry out any ‘do-it-yourself’ work to any gas appliances. Leave it to the experts – apart from being very dangerous, you could also be breaking the law.
If you have any queries or want to report a repair need to council owned gas appliances, contact the Housing Repairs team on 01322 343800.
