Great Yarmouth Borough Council

Council contractors will service the following items once a year. However if a fault occurs, you should report it immediately to the day to day repairs service. (See section 1 of this part of the handbook)

gas central heating and gas appliances
oil fired heating systems
warden call systems
emergency lighting
lifts
door entry phone systems

Gas Safety and Servicing The Council is legally obliged to maintain the gas appliances and installations in your home, for which they are responsible, in a safe condition.

This covers:

installations and appliances they own and have fitted
those that tenants have fitted but have formerly agreed with the Council that they (the Council) should repair and maintain

The Council is required to arrange for all gas appliances and installations for which they are responsible to be checked for safety at least every 12 months. They should ensure that any remedial work is carried out by a CORGI registered gas company whose operatives are ACOP's qualified.

Records of safety checks, services and remedial work are kept for a minimum of two years. A record of the safety check should be sent to tenants within 28 days. The Council's contractor will notify both the tenant and Council (in writing) when an unsafe gas appliance is found. If the contractor can't remedy the fault, the tenant should turn off the appliance. British Gas Transco should then be called.

British Gas Transco has a legal power to disconnect your gas if safety is an issue. As tenants you have a duty not to use an appliance if it is known or suspected to be unsafe.

Access to your property for gas servicing

It is in tenants own interest and the interest of safety that yearly checks are carried out, and that the Council's contractors have access to your property. The following procedure will ensure that safety checks can be carried out:

A letter will be sent to tenants advising of an appointment time (It is the right of a landlord on giving not less than 24 hours notice in writing to view the state of a premises).
If the tenants are not in at the appointment time, an 'abortive visit' card will be left stating the date and time of a return visit. If this is not convenient, tenants should contact the contractor immediately.
If the contractor fails to contact a tenant twice, the Council will send a formal 'first reminder letter'.
If after seven days there is no response we will send a formal 'second reminder letter'.

After a further prescribed response period we will commence legal proceedings for an injunction ordering access to the premises. Any costs incurred will be recharged to the tenant.

^ Back to top