Advice needed... installation of boiler into rented property by non-gas safe registered engineer.

[Playfield]

Hello all.. I don't know if anyone would be kind enough to advise.

We live in a rented property in ED and had trouble with our boiler last week. Aside from the fact it took 3 whole days to fix... I had my suspicions about the bloke who came to install the replacement. His van said 'pest control' on it, and when asked for a copy of the installation certificate, he told me he'd fetch it from his mate and drop it round later.

Today I received a copy of the certificate from our landlady. Sure enough, the details of the engineer on the certificate do no match up with the man who came to install it. Usefully enough, the unique ID can be checked online, and the name and photo do not match up.

Can anybody advise where I stand on this matter? Someone suggested witholding rent on the grounds of a potentially unsafe gas appliance... Is this wise?!

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[Salsaboy]

Hmmmm. You are in a difficult situation here. On one hand you are being very wise in worrying about the installation of the boiler but on the other hand you don't want to piss your landlady off so she comes up with a trumped up excuse to give you notice.

Perhaps in the first instance you should raise the matter with her and see what she has to say about it. I would keep copious notes about it including times dates etc. just in case. I certainly wouldn't withhold any rent as you would probably be in breach of your contract and thus render you liable to eviction.

If you are not happy with her answers perhaps bite the bullet and get a Gas Safe registered engineer in to check the installation. If he finds anything then you can go back to your landlady.

Good luck!

[Playfield]

Hmm yes I agree. I don't think witholding rent would achieve anything. We definitely want to stay in the house for another 12 months and the contract renews in August, so don't want to jepordise anything regarding the tenancy.

However, this isn't the first time the boiler has broken and the landlady has taken, what I consider to be, an unreasonably long time to arrange a repair. It just seems like she does EVERYTHING on a shoestring, and we're suffering because of it.

I just got my dad, an ex plumber, to give her a call and 'make her aware' that there's a discrepancy with the certificate and that it would be in everyone's interests for her to look into it. He was very nice and gave her the benefit of the doubt, but just asked that she find out the installers registration no. But I just got an answerphone message from said dodgy installer (or pest controller?!) asking me to call him for a chat.... erm NO!

[red devil]

When you moved into the house were you given a copy of an up to date Gas Safety Certificate?

This is a compulsory safety inspection of all gas appliances, e.g. boiler, hob, and has to be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

If you have a copy, check the name of the person who did it to see if they are Gas Safe registered. If they're not, your landlady is breaking the law, and potentially endangering your life...

[maxxi]

Wait until your lease is renewed for the time you need - then give her both barrels and demand it is serviced by a gas safe engineer because without that SHE is breaking the law.

[GinaG3]

Call environmental health and see what they think on the matter. They can advise you further I think. Our landlady is much the same, our boiler was shut off by utility service after someone reported the smell of gas after probing our block the smell was found to be coming from our faulty boiler. We were left in the snow for 3 weeks with a 1 year old baby with no heating or hot water. She then sent round a man to fit the new boiler who couldn't provide a gas safe card, I refused him entry to the property. She then sent someone who could show me proof they were registered gas safe installer and I was happy to go ahead.

Im unsure of what you can do after the installation, but as advised early in my post maybe a call to EH would be of use to you? Or as someone else has said call our a gas safe engineer at your own expense to check the appliance is safe for use. I understand completely wanting to stay on the right side of your landlady, it can make some situations really difficult and uncomfortable and you can feel totally out of control in a property you have to live in. At the end of the p day it's your safety at risk, not your landlords. I'd sort it ASAP. Councils environmental health team number can be found on their website, if they can't advise they may be able to give you a number or idea of someone else who can..

Sorry I can't help further, hope this has been of some use at least. Best of luck.

[Playfield]

Thanks to all for the advice. It's my first time renting so it's nice to have a sounding board and get a consensus of opinion.

I know that we weren't given an safety certificate for the property when we arrived, but coincidently the letting agent sent a reminder email to the landlady, which I was cc'd in on, about having it renewed in August - so I'm confident that it exists.

Anyway... we'll see what happens. But thanks again!

[mattH]

I would not recommend seeing what happens. This is not a good idea at all.

The gas saftey cert you have has fairly obviously been signed by someone for ?40 in the pub. Or some other equivalent situation.

The guy that installed/fixed the boiler couldn't correctly give you a cert there and then, because he wasn't legally allowed to install/fix the problem.

A gas safety check will set you back ?60-90. My advice would be just to pay it. Then, you may be out of pocket by ?60-90, but you will have peace of mind.

I'd be very happy to help write a letter to your landlord that might persuade them to refund you. I'm quite good at things like that.

Then,

Get out of renting from this landlord as quickly as possible. If she is prepared to send around an UNREGISTERED man/woman to install a boiler who has then arrange for someone else to sign off the boiler as safe without even seeing it. You should get out ASAP.

You could do potential tenants a favour and warn them off renting from her. Penny pinching is not how I'd describe that kind of behaviour.

That's just plain wrong.

[Monkey]

Agree with e erything MattH says.

And go and get a carbon monoxide detector right now. Do not wait.

[dulwichgirl2]

Agree with monkey and matth.

You do not mess with boilers. The landlady sounds disgusting and I would want to leave immediately. Forget the 12 months extension. It isn't worth it.

Keep the boiler room ventilated and other windows open. Get a carbon monoxide detector today.

Register with agents this weekend and find somewhere else so you can leave when the lease is up.

Report to police and name her on the forum if it becomes apparent she broke the law on this.

[Alan Medic]

It's not right but because the guy isn't registered doesn't mean he didn't do a proper job. In the same way just because someone is registered doesn't mean they would have. People are trying to make you panic over a piece of paper.

It's hardly in the landlords interest that you have a gas explosion.

[red devil]

Gas explosions aside, if a tenant were to die of carbon monoxide poisoning due to a landlord's faulty installed/maintained boiler, the landlord would probably face manslaughter charges. That's not much comfort to the tenant whose snuffed it though...

[Alan Medic]

I don't believe I read that the landlady was aware of who was doing the job. It could be that a registered guy who was asked to do it got his mate to do it.

[red devil]

Semantics aside, the bottom line is that any landlord/lady is legally obliged to provide the tenant with an up to date Landlord's Certificate of all gas appliances, regardless of who installed them.

It's in the tenant's best interest to check that the Cert has been signed by a Gas Safe registered engineer, if it hasn't, get out of there, as you're obviously dealing with an unscrupulous landlord/lady...

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/renting_and_leasehold/rights_and_responsibilities/landlords_responsibilities#4