We all want to stay safe in our homes, but how do we make sure our gas appliances are safe and working properly? In this section of the site we provide advice and guidance on common issues around gas safety in the home.
| File Description | File | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Gas Safety |  | 179KB |
| Fire Safety Guide | | 205KB |
| Electrical Safety Guide | | 255KB |
| Legionnaires Disease Guide | | 212KB |
| Asbestos Guide | | 170KB |
A poorly maintained gas appliance can present a real danger – please allow us access to carry out the annual gas safety check to ensure your gas appliances are safe. We will normally contact you two months before your gas safety check is due so there is plenty of time to arrange a date and time for the check that is suitable for you.
Where we cannot carry out a gas safety check due to a lack of gas supply (for instance if there is no credit in the meter) the engineer will have to cap the gas until the supply is restored. Our Housing Support Team can offer advice if you are struggling with fuel bills.
Where we cannot gain access to a property, after three attempts to make contact with the tenant we will take access using a master key. If there is an external gas meter we will cap the gas rather than use the master key.
If you own your own gas appliance, such as a gas cooker, we recommend that you arrange for a Gas Safe engineer to check and service it annually to ensure it is safe.
If you live in a flat and have a gas cooker or are thinking of getting one, the gas cooker must be fitted with a flame suppression device (FSD). The FSD stops the gas supply to the burner if the flame goes out and can prevent explosion.
Never use a gas appliance if you think it’s unsafe. Signs to look out for include a yellow or orange flame, soot or stains around the appliance and pilot lights which frequently blow out.
Contact our Customer Service team on 01224 423000 if you have any concerns about the safety of your gas boiler.
Test your CO detector weekly. Your CO detector is interlinked with your smoke detectors and can be tested using the central test switch that has been fitted in your home.
Simply press the central button on the test switch and all the alarms on the system will be tested at the same time.
If your detectors sound, the test button can also be used to locate which detector has been triggered. If the alarms are sounding, press the central button once and an icon will illuminate to show whether it’s a heat, smoke or CO detector that has been triggered.
The system can also be silenced using the test button. Once you have identified which alarm is sounding, press the central button once more and the alarms will be silenced.
If the test shows a fault with your detectors, contact our Customer Service team on 01224 423000 and we will arrange a repair.
Don’t be tempted to block up vents around your home – they are essential to ensuring that your gas appliance burns properly.
Our gas engineer will check annually that vents and flues are operating properly but you can do a quick check now and again to check that nothing is blocking flues and vents, particularly where there are plants growing near your external gas flue.
As a landlord Langstane is legally required to carry out annual gas safety checks to all gas appliances and flues in our properties. We are not required to check gas appliances owned by tenants such as gas cookers.
What does the gas safety check involve?
We start the process of arranging your gas safety check around two months before it is due to ensure that we have time to arrange access to your home. Once we have agreed a date to visit your home our Gas Safe engineer will carry out a full check of your gas appliance which involves ensuring that the appliance:
The engineer will also ensure that
You will be provided with a copy of the gas safety record within 28 days of the check being carried out.
The gas safety check usually takes no longer than one hour.
What happens if an appliance fails the check?
Where a gas appliance fails the gas safety check and cannot be repaired at the visit, the engineer will disconnect the appliance and a repair will be organised as quickly as possible.
Although we are not legally required to check appliances owned by tenants, our gas engineer will usually do a visual check of any other gas appliances in the home, such as gas cookers, and advise if repairs are needed. In certain circumstances, where a tenant-owned appliance is dangerous, the engineer will disconnect it and advise that it is not used.
What happens if Langstane can not carry out the safety check?
Where we cannot carry out a gas safety check due to a lack of gas supply (for instance if there is no credit in the meter) the engineer will have to cap the gas until the supply is restored. Our Housing Support Team can offer advice if you are struggling with fuel bills.
Where we cannot gain access to a property, after three attempts to make contact with the tenant we will take access using a master key. If there is an external gas meter we will cap the gas rather than use the master key.
Please do allow us access to carry out the annual gas safety check. It is a legal obligation but also ensures your safety.
All our gas-heated properties are fitted with CO detectors. A CO detector will be fitted in every room with a carbon-fuelled appliance (such as a boiler) and every room that the appliance flue passes through.
The CO detectors that we fit are interlinked with the smoke detection system in your home.
We replace all detectors after 10 years.
