What is a CP12 Certificate and why you need it?
Safety is an important aspect within the rental world – or in general. Ensuring the property is safe for occupancy is at the heart of the rental, which is why certificates are required to meet requirements. Gas safety is one of the most important aspects, where landlords are legally obliged to obtain a CP12 Certificate in London and to provide it to tenants. In this article, we look at what a gas safety certificate is and what the tenants’ responsibilities are in that regard.
What is a gas safety certificate from landlords?
Gas safety certificates are often referred to as CP12 certificates. CP12 is short for CORGI Proforma 12, which was named when CORGI was the leading UK gas safety agency at the time. Gas Safe Register has become the official gas safety registration authority since 2010.
A gas safety certificate must be issued to existing tenants within 28 days of completion, and to new tenants before withdrawing. It is an official document that records all the results of the annual gas safety checks, along with any remedial measures. Measures taken as a result of the controls. In other words, the certificate indicates whether the house meets the requirements of the government.
What is included in a gas safety certificate?
- The gas safety certificate must contain:
- The full name, signature and registration ID * of the gas engineer who performed the gas safety check
- The address of the property being checked
- The contact details of the landlord of the house, or possibly a real estate agent
- The date of the inspection
- The description and location of flues and all gas appliances
- Any defects or irregularities found on the gas appliances
- Any repairs carried out on site (during the inspection)
- What repairs are still mandatory to bring the gas appliances into good working condition
- When the device needs maintenance again
- Confirmation that all relevant security controls have been performed
The law requires that all working gas engineers are registered in the Gas Safe Register. All work is performed by an engineer who is not part of the Gas Safe Register, their work is considered illegal. You can find out if the mechanic is qualified by asking for his Gas Safe Register ID.
What does the engineer do during the gas safety check?
Each annual gas safety inspection is performed by a qualified gas-safe engineer. They monitor any equipment or appliances that use gas. This includes gas supply, gas boiler, gas hose and any gas fireplaces.
Apart from device checks, the inspection should also include:
- Check the chimneys and the flue gas outlet. The engineer will likely use smoke pellets and see how much of the smoke comes out. If the origin returns, the chimney is likely to be clogged and flammable products must be removed.
- Check the gas connections and infrastructure. It is important that the gas supply supplies gas directly and safely to your gas appliances.
- Check the ventilation and oxygen supply in the home.
- Monitoring standing and working gas pressure
- Check every gas appliance, every burner and gas pressure. The engineer will state the base model and manufacturer information for each gas appliance. If something is not right, they should be turned off and the device unplugged.
If there is a simple solution to the problem during the checks, the technician will usually try to repair the device on site. However, if serious repair is needed, they will include repair and maintenance recommendations in the final report.
How often do landlords have to perform a gas safety check?
Landlords are legally obliged to repeat this gas inspection annually, since each certificate is only valid for 12 months. The house cannot be rented without a valid gas safety certificate.
Renting out a home without using safe gas is illegal and can be considered a criminal offense. Tenants can institute legal proceedings for civil damage. The fine for renting a home without a gas security check includes a substantial fine of up to £ 6,000 and / or imprisonment of up to 6 months. For do-it-yourselfers who don’t use a high street agent, a gas safety check can be ordered online using the services of the online rental platform.
If these symptoms occur only at home, or in a room where gas appliances are located and used, this could be due to CO poisoning. It is recommended to leave the property and go for a walk. If the symptoms get better when the tenants are outside and worse at the property, this is a good indicator of carbon monoxide. The tenant must be tested for poisoning in the hospital.