SAFETY CHECKS: 46% of landlords report problems gaining access to properties

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Nearly half of landlords have experienced problems gaining access to their properties to complete mandatory checks including gas safety, it has been revealed.

Leading evictions specialist Landlord Action polled some 1,200 landlords and found that 46% had access problems when carrying out routine checks or gas safety inspections, making compliance extremely difficult.

The research, which was carried out last month, has been released to coincide with the start of Gas Safety Week today.

All landlords renting properties with gas appliances have a legal duty to have a gas safety inspection carried out each year by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

A copy of the gas safety certificate must then be issued to the tenants and, if it is not, evictions can be very difficult to enact.

Paul Shamplina, founder of Landlord Action, says: “Gas safety checks are not only a landlord’s legal obligation, but they are also imperative to ensuring the safety of the property and the tenants living there.

“Of course, sometimes it comes down to when is convenient, but when tenants continually deny access, it becomes a real problem.”

Ground for repossession

Shamplina’s firm is currently putting together a proposal to Ministers that would make a tenant refusing access to a property a discretionary ground for repossession.

“As the market evolves and the balance of power shifts towards the tenant, landlords are contacting us with increasingly complex legal challenges, which are likely to broaden in the future as the sector reforms.

“We already offer access injunctions to complete gas safety checks and are currently looking at what other support landlords may need” adds Paul.

Read a complete guide to gas safety and landlord gas safety certificates.

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