East Kent Councils failing hundreds of tenants over gas safety checks
Hundreds of council tenants lives are being put at significant risk due to their landlords not undertaking compulsory gas safety checks. Hundreds of Council homes owned by the four councils of East Kent – Canterbury, Dover, Folkestone & Hythe & Thanet Councils – who own between them in excess of 15,800 council homes, have no gas safety certificates. In Oct 2018 the number stood at 26, now it runs into the hundreds according to well placed sources. Without the certificates lives are seriously at risk. Penalties for Non Compliance of Gas Safety are:
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Landlords and/or managing agents can be convicted for non-compliance.
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The standard penalty is a £6,000 fine for each item and/or 6 months imprisonment.
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In the most serious cases charges of manslaughter could be brought.
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Insurance cover could be invalidated for non-compliance to the regulations.
Thank you. I am a tenant who has NOT had a renewal of my gas safety certificate and have informed the Health & Safety Executive who informed me they will investigate.
As a tenant I have instructed a housing lawyer to bring a case of negligence against one of the said councils. I have a family and we are worried sick about the fact that no electrical tests or gas safety checks have been undertaken by our particular council. Thanks for the heads up.
In addition, tenants can also complain to the Local Government Ombudsman if the local authority concerned does not respond promptly to a complaint over the non-renewal of a gas safety certificate.
https://www.lgo.org.uk/make-a-complaint
As a single mum who lives in a Council property, I am greatly concerned, that I and my children have been placed in such danger. Do these people give a flying f**k? How do they sleep at night especially as they know there are children at risk across all four council housing stock?
What about those pensioners, those who are disabled and how could I forget the tower blocks, as I live in one. I am not angry, I am f**king livid and besides myself with fear for my children and myself.
Echos of the past here, a certain senior officer now at EKH was in charge at Medway Council when whistle blowers highlighted safety issues with their gas contract, whistle blowers were duly targeted and sacked by the then head of housing( same person now in charge at EKH) whistle blowers took the matter to a tribunal and won the case, so watch this space, a fair bet someone lower down the ladder at EKH will be taking the can for the disgraceful incompetence of the over paid senior management who are charged with ensuring that these checks are carried out without fail ?
Any chance you might know the employment tribunal case reference Rosie?
Here you go :-
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/medway/news/erinaceous-three-whistleblowers–a97831/
This shouldn’t be happening in this day and age! What IT are these people using to keep an eye on when inspections are due, its not rocket science. I saw this online today https://www.gastag.co.uk/ seems to be working with other housing organisations??
Luminus Housing Association had over 1000 houses with expired GSCs a couple of years back. They weren’t fined a single penny. How can this be right? If it was a private landlord with only one expired cert they would have thrown the book at him/her.