Landlords putting tenants at risk
People renting houses from private landlords are at risk of serious personal injury due to carbon monoxide poisoning, it has been revealed.
A survey has found that up to a third of tenants are renting a property with faulty gas appliances. Most of these have an out-of-date gas safety certificate.
This can result in health risks, and in some cases, even death from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Experts say that tenants are being put at carbon monoxide poising risk because landlords do not know about their legal obligations.
This is especially true in the case of amateur landlords who may not have any previous experience of the rental market.
They buy second properties to rent out as a long-term investment but are not aware of their legal obligations.
The law in the UK states that landlords should have their gas appliances checked by a qualified engineer every year to obtain a gas safety certificate.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reported that 18 people died and 310 suffered personal injury due to faulty gas appliances in 2009.
Most of these faulty appliances resulted in carbon monoxide poisoning, fires and explosions. It is unknown if any compensation claims were filed.
Updated on 22/04/2010