Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week

David Cox, Chief Executive, ARLA Propertymark comments on Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week:

“In the right hands, gas is safe, however if things go wrong gas appliances can cause many problems. With no smell or taste, carbon monoxide is known as the silent killer, causing around 60 deaths a year in England and Wales. Landlords have a legal duty to keep tenants safe by maintaining gas appliances and ensuring a gas safety check is carried out every 12 months, by a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer. As a second line of defence, landlords should fit an audible carbon monoxide alarm in rented properties, but this is no substitute for regular servicing of all gas appliances. However, it’s now time for the Government to make best practice legal, and enforce compulsory carbon monoxide alarms in every rented property. At the moment, they only need to be in rooms with solid fuel burning, but we should be doing all we can to protect tenants.”