Boilers and landlord saftey certificates

For most landlords and tenants the annual boiler safety certificate is little more than red tape - a piece of paper that gets filed away without being read properly or acted on.

It's worthwhile checking that you're getting value for money from your boiler inspection by understanding the programme of work undertaken by the heating engineer who inspects your gas appliances.

What checks lie behind the annual gas safety certificate?

A thorough check should include all the following:

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
• Check that all gas appliances are working properly by testing all the various controls;
• Look at how the flame is burning;
• Make sure that there is an adequate supply of air to all gas appliances;
• Check to see if there are any flammable materials near to the heat source;
• Make sure the boiler or appliance is properly secured to the building;
• Ensure that pipework is robust and properly secured.
APPLIANCE TESTING
• Inspect the flue for flow and carry out a general inspection of the positioning;
• Test the operating pressure of the appliance and its heat input rate;
• Test the gas appliance for spillage;
• Use leak detection fluid to ascertain whether gas connections are tightly sealed.
COMMUNICATION
• The engineer should ask the tenant whether there have been any problems with the gas appliances;
• Lastly, the engineer should tell the tenant and the landlord whether any further boiler maintenance or servicing work is necessary;