Hidden gas flues in rental properties must be checked
Landlords are being reminded of the need to get gas boiler and flue systems checked yearly, as new guidance comes into force to protect residents from potential carbon monoxide leaks from hidden flues.
All Gas Safe registered engineers should now be working to updated guidance outlining the action they need to take should they come across a flue hidden above ceilings, behind walls or boxed in with no means of access.It follows several incidents of CO leaking from flues that could not be checked.


From January 1 this year, engineers have been required to carry out a revised risk assessment of all affected installations. As long as they meet all aspects of the revised assessment, boilers can remain in operation following visits carried out before January 1, 2013, by which time landlords will have to install inspection hatches that allow engineers to see along the entire length of the flue. In order for affected installations to be left as they are in the interim, there must be:
1. A completed risk assessment checklist, including safety checks on the boiler and products of combustion checked with a flue gas analyzer, and 2. Suitably located carbon monoxide (CO) alarms compliant to BS EN 50291 if hatches have not yet been installed.
The installation of CO alarms is not an alternative to being able to see the flue, and following the deadline, installations without inspection hatches will be classified as At Risk, and turned off, in accordance with the Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure (GIUSP), irrespective of any other management measures such as CO alarms.
The aim is that this stepped approach provides a sensible, practical timescale for landlords to complete the installation of inspection hatches, reducing the risk of homes being left without heating and hot water in situations where engineers would otherwise have to switch boilers off. 

Where the property is less than two years old, the property developer should be consulted and will retrofit hatches and check flue integrity. For properties between two and ten years old, the home warranty provider should be contacted. 


Huw Jones
Huw Jones Sales & Lettings Director at Shaws Estate Agents said: “Gas safety is clearly crucial and our property management department ensure, as a priority, that all legislation and standards are met via our approved list of qualified Gas Safe contractors.”
More information on flues in voids, www.gassaferegister.co.uk
