The law rightly commits Housing Associations each and every year to check that gas appliances and flues in their properties are safe. This is vital to keep people protected from the threat of gas explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning - both those living in the home where the gas appliances are AND those living in neighbouring homes who could be unwittingly at risk if safety checks aren't carried out.
But, the law doesn't allow social landlords a swift and efficient way to make sure that it can carry out the checks it is legally required to make. In fact, it can take associations as much as four months to follow the due legal process to a point where they have free access to service boilers and carry out other gas safety checks.
It’s pretty simple – give Housing Associations the same timely access as their Local Authority counterparts. Councils have the same legal duty as social landlords to check gas services in their properties on an annual basis. Unlike Housing Associations, the law gives Local Authorities the right to enter their homes using a warrant that they can get from a Magistrates Court on the day they apply for access. This makes sure that tenants are safe and sound immediately and that neighbours can rest easy in their homes. Want to know more in legal terms?