Open Rent Failed To Deliver Gas Service

Landlord Discussion
1

My name is Sanchez and I am a new landlord.
I have found a tenant on openrent that has passed tenancy checks and paid holding deposit etc.
I booked a gas safety check and boiler service through open rent on the 13/12, today is the 26/12 and I am yet to receive a date for an engineer to attend.
I have had 2 engineers booked in but not turn up to complete the job, first being 17/12 and the second 19/12.
My tenant is waiting to move in and I have pushed back his moving date twice due to the failed engineer appointments.
I need help.

2

You should have your own guy who you can call on for work. Gas Safe as you will need a check once a year. They are busy this time of year anyway.

3
  1. Chase the people you have already contacted, say it is urgent, and hopefully one will come out. Write to Open Rent for a refund if no luck, complaining about the lack of turn-out at the same time. This may affect their ability to work with Open Rent.
  2. Otherwise ask any boiler servicing person to perform this check, say the one that you normally use, or go to a plumbing merchant and ask if they know of any Gas Safety Engineers. There are websites that you can use to select one too.
  3. Tell your prospective tenant what is happening and ask if they are willing to start renting while you both wait for the Gas Safety Check.
  • Point out it is like an MOT: the check may result in a pass or fail. Even if it passes, that does not mean it will remain safe until the next Gas Safety Check, just as a car can become unsafe the same day it passed the MOT.
  • If it is unsafe, the Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detector will save them.
  • Buy the CO detector from a well known UK brand, not from any other brand, as 6 out of 10, or more depending on the website you buy it from, are unsafe according to test results by the UK Consumer Organisation, “Which?”.
  • You can buy a cheap passive detector from, say, B&Q, or any plumbing merchant. These are like a small piece of cardboard that changes colour in the presence of CO, sometimes given away free by energy providers, so is an added safety feature that can tell if the CO detector is faulty or not.
  • If the tenant agrees, keep a record of your suggestion and their response.