Chances are good that if you went through the trouble of getting a fully qualified Gas Safe engineer to install a new boiler, you want to prove it was all done properly. A boiler installation certificate could help you in a number of ways in the future, and depending on who you are, it might be absolutely vital. So, what are these certificates, why does anybody need them, and does a new boiler need a safety certificate?
What is a Gas Safety Certificate?
It’s a certificate that verifies work done on a gas appliance is safe, compliant, and has been registered in the proper legal fashion. The name speaks for itself.
A Gas Safety Certificate usually comes in the post, assuming everything has been notified correctly through your engineer and the Gas Safe Register.
For homeowners, the name this certificate will likely arrive under is a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate, which means your local authority has logged the compliant work and has their own record of it. This is very important for a number of reasons.
Why Do I Need a Gas Safety Certificate?
The specific reasons for needing certification will vary depending on who you are in relation to the property. However, the bottom line is that to answer the question of does a new boiler need a safety certificate – you always need some form of certification to say that the work was carried out safely by a qualified individual and that all boxes have been ticked.
Homeowners:
As a homeowner in England and Wales, work on any gas appliance – as well as anything heat producing such as a fire – must be reported back to your local authority. This is so that they can log it for the purpose of Building Regulations Compliance (this is different to a Gas Safety Record, which isn’t a legal requirement).
The homeowner has the responsibility of making sure their engineer logs this work, though any heating engineer worth their salt will already make this a regular part of their job as standard (we always do). This certification is really important when you get a new boiler installed, especially if you’re ever planning to sell or remortgage your home.
Notification needs to go to the local authority within 30 days. Gas Safe can chase things up for you if you want to check whether the engineer has registered the work.
If you would like to find out more about how much a boiler installation costs, click here…
Landlords:
The question of does a new boiler need a gas safety certificate apply to landlords? Yes. All landlords must have a gas safety certificate for each property they own. This is a legal requirement and it has to be updated annually. This applies to commercial landlords as well as residential.
The reason isn’t too hard to work out – if you’ve got tenants staying in a property, they need to know that everything has been checked and verified. If something bad were to happen as a result of cutting corners, the liability falls back squarely on the landlord, and the results will not be pretty.
As a residential tenant in a rented property, your landlord should be giving you a copy of the gas safety record to prove everything has been done above-board. Existing tenants should see a copy of the gas certificate within 28 days of checks being carried out. New tenants should get a copy before their moving date.
One thing to note: if a gas appliance in a rented property is owned by the tenant, it isn’t the responsibility of the landlord to have it checked.
Business Owner:
Commercial gas safety comes with a lot more responsibility and the laws surrounding it are of course a lot stricter.
The Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998 state that employers – even people who are self-employed – need to keep on top of the safety of their gas appliances. Like landlords, these have to undergo an annual check with a safety certificate to verify compliance.
Besides being a legal requirement, these checks may be needed for insurance purposes, as well as the safety and wellbeing of staff and visitors to your business.
Get a Boiler Installation Certificate with Bumblebee
Our philosophy doesn’t stop at doing good work on your new boiler installation. We ensure that every last detail is accounted for and all the loose ends are tied up.
That means handling all the paperwork for you, getting your warranties and/or guarantees off the ground, and showing you the controls, so that all you need to do is sit back and enjoy your new system.
To get a quote, ring us today on 01925 568281.
