Hi. My gas engineer is telling me that it is a legal requirement for a holiday home owner (so not a land lord in the rental / tenancy market) to undertake an annual boiler service along with the annual gas safety check. He has done so for the last 2 years. Is he correct? May not be the right place to post in view of it being a holiday let.
Thanks in advance anyway.
Sue
As far as I am aware, he is incorrect. The boiler service is not legally required.
If the boiler is under warranty, likely that an annual ‘service’ is required to validate any warranty claims.
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Many thanks Ray7 and Karl11, both very helpful responses. Sue
Hi I wonder why so many ask about legal requirements- so if your boiler was unsafe and someone died as a result you would say you’re not legally required? Surely as a human being living on planet earth it doesn’t matter whether you are legally required I would make sure everything is serviced and working safely anyway. Forgive me but- to Hell with legalities think about fatalities!
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@Sue24 is not disputing doing the annual gas safety check. She is querying if in addition to that check which ensures the gas installation, boiler & any other gas appliances are safe, if she ALSO has to have the boiler serviced.
She does not, a service is optional & unrelated to the required annual safety check.
Apologies i misunderstood
So, you’re telling the Community that a boiler service is purely optional? What if the heating system is manifestly old, and makes terrible grinding noises (as if the pump has gone)? What do I do then? The Landlord is not acting on my messages, and, at best, only uses an evening plumber moonlighting from their day job. OpenRent just advise contacting Citizens’ Advice (which is their usual default ‘kiss off’ to any enquiry about Landlords). I mean, if the Landlord puts saving money above human life, what is the answer?! I know you have to get the hell out and find another property, but that’s easier said than done. There must be something you can do, such as contacting British Gas to see if the overall system (including the pump) is at least safe, and then deducting the cost of the inspection from the rent? The laws covering Landlord Gas safety in the UK range from non-existent to pathetic.
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A boiler service is optional
A gas safety inspection certificate is compulsory. That checks the safety of the gas installation.
A noise, as you describe, sounds like a fault. A responsible Landlord should sort that as a breakdown.
It is not Openrent’s job. They are an advertising portal. Not an Agent. They do not manage the property. If you make payments to OR, these are passed on to the Landlord. They have no power to make deductions.
I would add, if you think the boiler noise puts your life at risk, call the Gas emergency line, 0800 111 999
Thanks for the clarification, Karl. I still think that, when a Tenant has need of recourse with regard to an irresponsible or absentee Landlord, then OpenRent have a moral (if not, a legal) duty to step in and help, not just refer you to Citizens’ Advice. After all, OpenRent do not seem to vet their Landlords beyond verifying that they own a particular property, and so cannot just ‘wash their hands’.
That may come in the future. Im sure ORs lawyers have been studying the Uber judgement carefully as well as the Govts proposed changes to the sector.