News on property, gas services, landlord gas safety check and more - Maxgas

Suspended Sentence for fake fitter

1/1/2013

A illegal gas fitter has received a suspended prison sentence for carrying out sub-standard gas work at a property in Essex.

Steven Arnold, trading as Thermostat Plumbing and Heating Services based in Hackney, North London installed a boiler,
cooker fitting and pipework at a property in Leigh on Sea, Southend. Mr Arnold was not Gas Safe registered and had used
another gas engineers details to fill out the gas safety record, which prompted the owner to contact a inspector.

Upon inspection the work was found to be not to current standards and remedial work was required, Southend Magistrates Court fined Mr Arnold £12000 and ordered him to pay £1760 in costs and he was given a 2 month suspended prison sentence.

5 year guarantee on Boilers.

11/15/2012

We are now offering a free 5 year guarantee on all Vaillant domestic boilers purchased before
31st December 2012.
But since we are approved Vaillant Advanced Installers we can offer the 5 years warranty for boilers fitted after this date as well !.
Vaillant Boilers have been awarded Best Buy for 3 years in a row by Which? magazine, are band A rated and have stainless steel heat exchangers.
Call now to arrange a quote.

No Gas Safety Checks - Fine £6000.00

11/15/2012

A Landlord from London who did not have gas safety checks carried out at 3 flats in Morecambe
has been fined £6000.
Sean Powell , from Bayswater , was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive at Lancaster Magistrates Court.
Mr Powell pleaded guilty to 3 breaches of the Gas Safety Regulations 1998, by failing to arrange the checks, he was also ordered to pay £1424 in costs.

Remember Remember 31st of December

10/17/2012

Time is running out for property owners who have flues hidden in voids. If a gas engineer encounters a boiler which flue system is hidden in boxing, or the ceiling or walls of a property, then as from the 01st January 2013 he must advise that the boiler be disconnected and not used , as it will be classified as At Risk under the Gas Safety Regulations.
A gas engineer must be able to easily see any flue system and joints on a room sealed fan flued boiler to ensure that the flue system is intact and safe. If you are unsure if you have a hidden flue system then further guidance can be found at the Gas Safe Register website, under Technical Bulletin 008.

£24,000 Fine for faking records.

10/17/2012

A bogus gas fitter and the company he owns has been fined £24000 after carrying out illegal inspections on mobile catering units in the Suffolk area. Anthony George Hewitt, from Halesworth carried out gas safety record checks using the names of legitimate Gas Safe registered engineers. Lowestoft Magistrates court heard that he signed off LPG installations as being safe, and in doing so misled his customers and compromised their safety. Mr Hewitt and Hewitt Plumbing Solutions were both fined £12000 each , as well as costs. The HSE said that "This was a shocking case. Mr Hewitt knowingly deceived his customers for financial gain, but he compromised their safety in doing so."

Lewisham Rental Properties

9/4/2012

We carry out inspections of rental properties in the Lewisham SE12 Area.
If you have a house or a flat to rent then give us a call.

Blackheath Rental Properties

9/4/2012

We carry out inspections on rental properties in the Blackheath London SE3 Area.
If you have a house or flat to let give us a call.

Boiler Warranties

7/30/2012

New Boilers are now being offered with longer warranties then ever before, 5 to 10 years by some manufacturers such
as Vaillant, Ideal and Worcester Bosch. This is great news for the house owner, who benefits from knowing that if the
boiler breaks down , they will not have to pay for the repairs. There is however a condition that the boiler be serviced every
year, failure to service the boiler will render the warranty null and void.

Many customers that we have been to, seem totally unaware of this and are not having their boiler serviced annually.
If the manufacturer is called out they will ask to see prove that the boiler has been serviced, this can be shown by
the service sheet record being filled in and signed by the service company on each visit, or by showing a receipt or invoice.
If you cannot provide this then the manufacturer may refuse to repair the boiler, and you will have to pay for it.

SO BE WARNED AND SERVICE YOUR BOILER ANNUALLY.

Renting for the Olympics.

7/12/2012

A factsheet is available from the Gas Safe Register, which explains a Landlord's responsibilities on short term lets, this
is particularly useful as a number of people are letting their properties out for the London Olympics this summer.

Gas Safe is reminding short-term Landlord's that they are subject to the same regulations and that they must have
their properties, appliances, pipework and chimneys checked by a gas safe engineer. If the property is let for periods of
less then 28 days, they should leave a copy of the Gas Safety Certificate in a prominent position, which can be seen by
any tenant if required.

Tenant's are reminded that they should ask to see the copy of the certificate, before renting .

Landlord Ignores Safety Warnings.

7/6/2012

A Landlord who ignored repeated warnings to have his appliances at his rented property checked for safety has been
fined.
Mohammed Hanif, from Wakefield was instructed by The Hse to have a gas safety inspection carried out at the property,
which he ignored. The tenant reported the Landlord for failing to provide a certificate, and the HSE prosecuted, which
resulted in a fine of £450.00 and £1000.00 in costs.
HSE Inspector Dr Angus Robbins, stated that there was a wilful disregard for the safety of the tenant, who had been left
in a vulnerable and dangerous position.