Gas Safety Week is taking place from the 9th to 15th September and is here to remind the public how to keep themselves gas safe and raise awareness of the dangers of poorly maintained gas appliances, which can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
It is co-ordinated by the Gas Safe Register, an official list of gas engineers who are legally allowed to work on gas. Our engineers are all Gas Safe registered.
The theme for this year’s Gas Safety Week is ‘Checking – Every Check Counts’. As your landlord, we have a legal duty to carry out annual safety checks on any gas appliances in your home. This helps to make sure that appliances are safe for you and your family.
Every year more than 30 people are killed because of faulty gas fires or appliances in the home. You can’t see, smell or taste carbon monoxide but it can kill within minutes.
It’s an important condition of your tenancy that you give us access to your home to carry out these essential safety checks. To read more about why your home needs a gas safety check and service, click here.
Homes Plus prioritises gas safety every week. In Gas Safety Week, we are sharing ten top tips to help keep you safe and warm your home.
- Make sure that we have checked all the gas appliances in your home. As your landlord, we have a legal duty to carry out an annual gas safety inspection in your home. Phoenix Gas Services, our Gas Safe registered contractors, will write to you to let you know that your annual service and safety check is due to be carried out. If you think you need a gas safety check and service and have not received an appointment from Phoenix, please call our customer services team on 0800 048 8955.
- Let us in to carry out your annual gas safety check. It is your responsibility under the terms of your tenancy agreement for you to give us access to your home to carry out this work. There is no charge to you for the gas servicing and safety check, which is a quick and simple process. If you need to reschedule a safety check appointment, please call Phoenix Gas Services on 01782 564448 to arrange an alternative day.
- Do not attempt to do any gas-related work yourself. All gas works must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Registered engineers carry a Gas Safe Register ID card. Always check the front and back of the card before letting them into your home.
- Know the six signs of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning – headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse and loss of consciousness. Unsafe gas appliances can put you at risk of CO poisoning, gas leaks, fires and explosions.
- Check gas appliances for warning signs that they are not working properly e.g. lazy yellow flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks or stains on or around the appliance and too much condensation in the room. Don’t use a gas appliance if you have any doubt that it is working properly.
- Don’t tamper with your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and let us in for their annual check. All our homes have been fitted with carbon monoxide and smoke alarms to keep you, your family and your neighbours as safe as possible and to alert you to the first signs of danger so that you can act. You must not prevent them from operating in their intended manner. Please do not tamper with, damage them, remove them or cover them up. As your landlord we will check these alarms on an annual basis, please give us access to your home to carry out this check.
- Keep vents clear. Never block-up air ventilation points.
- Use gas appliances only for their intended purpose. Don’t be tempted to use them for something they weren’t meant for (e.g. using a gas cooker to heat a room).
- Know the emergency procedure. If you smell gas or fumes, you should immediately call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 who will tell you what to do.
- Spread the word. Share vital gas safety information with friends, family and neighbours to make sure your community stays safe.
If you are concerned that a meter may have been tampered with, call our customer services team on 0800 048 8955. You can also report it anonymously to Stay Energy Safe by completing a form on their website https://www.stayenergysafe.co.uk/
In case of an emergency call the National Gas Emergency Line on 0800 111 999.