Get a gas safety check
Contact the National Gas emergency service as soon as possible if you smell gas:
- freephone 0800 111 999
- textphone (minicom) 0800 371 787
Gas servicing for council tenants
You must allow our gas contractor, Mears, entry into your property to check the safety of your gas and solid fuel appliances (gas servicing). Gas safety checks are free and happen once a year.
Gas safety checks can stop appliances becoming a health risk to your household, visitors and neighbours.
You might be exposed to carbon monoxide poisoning if your gas equipment is not safe.
Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas. You cannot see or smell carbon monoxide, but it kills more than 30 people a year in their homes.
Even if you think you do not have gas equipment in your home, there might be hidden pipes and other equipment that need to be checked.
You can ask us for help to get an appointment at a suitable date and time.
Contact Mears on freephone 0800 393 994 if your gas appliances have not been serviced within the last 12 months.
How your gas safety check is carried out
Your gas safety check will be carried out by a certified gas engineer using the following process:
- Mears will write to you every year with a date when the gas engineer plans to carry out the safety check. Contact Mears on freephone 0800 393 994 to make a new appointment if you cannot confirm the date given.
- On the day of the safety check, you will get a text (SMS) message to confirm the time the gas engineer will arrive at your property.
- The gas engineer will arrive at your property wearing an official identification card (ID card) with their photo on. You should ask the gas engineer for their ID card when they arrive. Contact Mears immediately on 0800 393 994 if you are not sure about the identity of the gas engineer.
- After you give the engineer access to your property, they will carry out the gas safety check. The check will take around 30 minutes.
- The engineer will give you a copy of the gas safety certificate after they have completed the check.
If your gas appliances are not safe
What happens if your gas and solid fuel appliances are not safe depends on who owns the appliance.
Council owned gas appliances
If a Council owned appliance is unsafe, the gas engineer will try to make it safe during their visit.
If it is not possible to make the appliance safe, the engineer will:
- shut down the appliance
- issue you with a warning notice
- put a sticker on the appliance stating that it is unsafe
- arrange an appointment to repair the appliance
Gas appliances owned by you
You are responsible for any gas equipment that you buy, for example a gas cooker.
If the appliance is unsafe, the engineer will:
- shut down the appliance
- issue you with a warning notice
- put a sticker on the appliance stating that it is unsafe
- tell you to find a private Gas Safe registered engineer to repair the appliance
At the next gas safety check, the Mears engineer will run a basic check on the appliance.
This will not include combustion checks.
Refusing access to gas safety engineers
You will be breaking the terms of your tenancy if you do not let us carry out the gas safety check. You will also put yourself and others at risk.
If we try several times to arrange entry and you still refuse to allow Mears to carry out the gas safety check, we can serve you with legal notices and may get a warrant to enter the property.
Contact your Housing Officer if you are vulnerable so that we can support you and make sure the appointment can be arranged.
Gas servicing for leaseholders
Our gas contractor, Mears, can service your gas appliances and carry out a gas safety check if you are a leaseholder.
Contact Mears on freephone 0800 393 994 to find out:
- how much a gas service costs
- how to arrange an appointment
Tell Mears you are a leaseholder and provide a phone number that you can be contacted on.
Leaseholders renting out (sub-letting) their property to a tenant must arrange for a Landlord Gas Safety Check every year. You can contact Mears or another Gas Safe registered engineer to do the check.
