Insurance News Archive
Gas fine warns landlord property insurance customers
Landlord property insurance customers have been warned to check gas appliances in their properties, after a West Yorkshire letter was prosecuted.
Helen Jayne Beckett, of Addingham, Ilkley, was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £1,500 in costs after failing to ensure that a gas fire in one of her properties was safe.
The landlord was issued with an improvement notice in November 2008 after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) discovered that she had not been maintaining the appliance, but neglected to take any further action to safeguard tenants.
Steven Kay, an inspector for the HSE, told landlord property insurance customers that failing to maintain appliances in their properties can have "devastating" consequences.
"Landlords are legally required to comply with Gas Safety regulations and the HSE is concerned there may be other property owners like Ms Beckett who are not fulfilling their responsibilities," he explained.
The conviction comes after the watchdog warned landlord property insurance customers that they should only use workmen with a Gas Safe registration to carry out work on buildings they own.
By Judith Stevenson
29 Oct 2009
