Gas & Central Heating Reports

There are many factors that can lead to a surveyor or valuer recommending a gas and central heating report. One of the most common is that there is evidence of defects in the gas boiler or system. Surveyors usually carry out a visual check only and specifically say that they do not test the services of a property during the course of their survey inspections. They will, therefore, advise that tests be carried out whenever they see that there is no recent service history and/or that the boiler shows signs of ageing or pipework or radiators show signs of leakage or rusting.

There are several key aspects  to note about gas and central heating inspections :

• Work must be Part L of the Building Regulations compliant.
• The contractor must be experienced in the type of system that you have.
• The contractor must be on the Gas Safe Register. This replaced the old CORGI registration.
• If you are a landlord, you have legal obligations under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 to have appliance, flues etc checked and obtain a certificate confirming compliance. Regular servicing and accurate records are important. In addition, you will be required to –
  • Check appliances before the start of a new tenancy
  • Have safety checks carried out by a gas Safe Registered Engineer
  • Keep the report of the safety check and make this available to tenants
  • Health & Safety at Work Regulations require that portable appliances are tested regularly