Landlord Faces Jail Over Gas Boilers
Published: Monday, January 19th, 2009A south coast landlord faces jail after failing to produce the necessary paperwork for gas boilers in his rented properties.
At a recent magistrates hearing the man pleaded poverty, saying he was too broke to afford the checks on the boilers which would amount to nearly £2,000.
His court appearance followed on from one last October when he had been fined some £24,000, and legal costs of around £13,000, on 12 counts of failing to supply paperwork showing the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that a Corgi-registered engineer had passed the gas boilers in question fit for use. He had at that time been given a court order to comply with the regulations and get the boilers inspected.
The man had 12 flats originally, but had since sold ten for nearly £1m, keeping just two, which are unoccupied.
In the recent hearing the man claimed he could not afford the boiler inspections as he had no money.
It was made clear in court that the HSE was worried about the possible effects of carbon monoxide poisoning on the tenants due to a faulty boiler. It was pointed out that carbon monoxide poisoning from gas boilers accounted for over 30 deaths a year in the U.K.
He had been originally asked in February 2007 by the HSE to provide the necessary documents for the boilers, as a landlord of properties is legally entitled to do.
The man’s solicitor claimed his client had no funds, or income, to get the work carried and therefore could not comply with the court’s orders.
Magistrates warned him that he risked going to prison and he was given conditional bail until the date set for sentencing.
Guest Article by Neil Camp
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My name is Alan Potts and I'm the Editor of the Gasboiler-BUYability web site and Managing Director of BUYability Limited. You can connect with me or keep up to date with new posts on this blog via the following social media sites: 
