If you have gas appliances in your home, Notting Hill Genesis will carry out a gas safety check every year. One of our approved contractors who is a Gas Safe registered engineer will attend your home. The check will normally take 20-30 minutes, but this can vary depending on what gas appliances you have and whether any issues are found. The engineer will check your boiler, gas pipework, flues, radiators and hot water cylinders. If you have a gas cooker or a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm, these will also be visually checked by the engineer.
Notting Hill Genesis are required by law to complete these checks every year and keep you, your family and your neighbours safe from the risk of a CO leak or gas explosion.
When will I be contacted?
The law requires the gas safety checks to be completed before the expiry date of the previous certificate. Therefore, contractors on behalf of NHG will contact you up to nine weeks before your current safety check’s expiry date.
NHG’s contractors will write to you about an appointment. Please contact them if this appointment is not convenient. If they are unable to gain access to your property to complete the check and/or get in contact with you, they will send another appointment letter and try and gain access at a later date. If they are unable to gain access at a second appointment and when your current gas safety certificate reaches the 4-5 week before expiry mark, your property will be referred back to NHG. NHG will then attempt to contact you by phone, email and letter.
This diagram shows the process NHG follows when unable to gain access for gas safety check beginning with the first appointment letter.
What do I need to do before the appointment?
- Make sure you have enough credit if you have a pre-payment gas and/or electric meter for the safety check to be completed
- Ensure that your boiler, gas meter and hot water cylinder (if you have one) are easily accessible
- Please make arrangements so any pets and young children are not in the areas where the engineer needs to work
I’m shielding - what should I do?
If you’re contacted about a gas safety check appointment while you’re shielding and in receipt of the official letter confirming this from the government, please contact your housing officer. We’ll carry out a risk assessment and review whether it’s necessary to book an appointment while you are shielding or whether we can postpone the check until your shielding period is over.
What Covid-19 precautions will be taken during the check?
To keep you, your family and our contractors safe, our contactors will:
- Keep two metres apart both from you and each other wherever possible
- Ask you to wait in another room if a two-metre perimeter is not possible
- Limit the number of contractors to those essential to carry out the work
- Wear the correct personal protective equipment required for the task, as well as a face covering to prevent the spread of Covid-19 if you would prefer us to do so
- Wash hands or use hand sanitizer before entering and exiting every property
- Not ask you to sign any documentation
- Wipe down and clean all surfaces they have worked on/touched before leaving your property
- Remove any waste or rubbish from your property when they have finished
If you are self-isolating, please let us know the end date of your isolation and book an appointment immediately after.
What do I do if I smell gas?
If you think you can smell gas, you should:
- Call the National Grid Emergency Line immediately on 0800 111 999
- Open doors and windows
- Do not smoke or light matches
- Do not turn electrical switches on or off
- Turn off the meter at the control handle unless the meter is in a cellar or basement