Gas brings two linked dangers to an HMO: fire and carbon monoxide. Both are covered by clear duties, and HMO gas safety is one of the checks councils expect to see evidence of. If you let a shared house in Basingstoke or across Hampshire, here is what the rules require.
The annual gas safety check
If your HMO has gas appliances, you have a legal duty under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations to have them checked every twelve months by an engineer on the Gas Safe Register. The engineer issues a record, often called a CP12 or Landlord Gas Safety Record. For HMOs, a copy commonly has to be supplied to the council as part of licensing, as well as given to tenants.
Only Gas Safe engineers
It is against the law for anyone not on the Gas Safe Register to work on the gas appliances, pipework or flues. Checking the register before an engineer starts takes a moment and protects you. This is not a job to give to a general handyman, however capable.
Why gas safety is fire safety
A poorly maintained gas appliance or a blocked flue can cause a fire, and it can also produce carbon monoxide, a colourless, odourless gas that kills. In a shared house where tenants sleep in separate rooms, the overnight danger is real. That is why gas safety sits naturally alongside your fire risk assessment rather than in a separate box.
Carbon monoxide alarms
The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations require a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers. In practice, fitting CO alarms wherever there is a gas boiler, gas fire or solid fuel appliance is the safe approach. Site them per the manufacturer’s instructions and test them regularly, the same way you handle your smoke alarms.
Keep the records
Keep gas safety records with your other compliance paperwork, give tenants their copy, and supply the council where required. Missing or out of date gas records are a common reason an HMO runs into trouble at licensing, and they are entirely avoidable with a diary reminder.
Tie it into your routine
Book the annual check before the previous one expires so there is never a gap, and treat the CO alarms as part of your regular testing. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service highlights faulty appliances as both a fire and a poisoning risk, particularly in older shared housing.
If you suspect a problem
Carbon monoxide gives little warning, so tenants should know the signs of a faulty appliance, sooty staining, a lazy yellow flame instead of crisp blue, or unexplained headaches and drowsiness, and know to leave, ventilate and call the gas emergency line. Make this part of the information you give tenants, and make clear who the responsible person is for reporting faults to.
Never attempt gas work yourself or use anyone who is not Gas Safe registered, however minor the job seems. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service highlights faulty appliances as both a fire and a poisoning risk, particularly in older shared housing with ageing boilers, so the annual check and working CO alarms are not corners to cut.
The annual check is more than a glance at the boiler: the engineer examines the flue and ventilation as well as the appliance itself, because a blocked flue or starved air supply is exactly what drives carbon monoxide back into the room. That is why only a registered engineer, not a general tradesperson, should carry it out.
Keep gas safe in your HMO
Want your gas and fire safety joined up properly? For advice tailored to your property from a competent professional, speak to Jamie at ESI: Fire Safety on 01276 300 351.
