Gas Safety

What should I do if there is an emergency?

In an emergency you can contact our Customer Service Centre, during normal office hours, on 01403 220440. For any out of hours emergencies please call Homeserve on 08457 573764 from 8pm to 8am Monday to Friday, weekends and bank holidays.

What is a gas safety inspection?

A safety inspection is carried out every year to check that any gas heating and hot water appliances, fittings and flues owned by us are safe. If you don’t have any gas appliances or gas supply, we still need to come in and check that your home and appliances are safe. At Southern Housing Group we have a legal duty to complete these checks and to do this we use registered Gas Safe engineers.  The safety inspection is free and will only take around 30-45 minutes.

What is covered in the inspection?

During the inspection we service all gas appliances and systems that we’ve installed or that we own, whether they are in your home or in a communal area. When we refer to gas appliances, we’re not just talking about cookers or boilers, this also includes redundant meters or gas service pipe work.

If you own any of the gas appliances in your home, then we’ll do a basic safety check of these too. However, you’re still responsible for the condition and safety of any of your own appliances.

Why is the inspection so important?

• Customer safety is our number one priority, so we want to make sure that you and your family are safe
• Gas appliances, chimneys and flues could pose a serious risk to your health if they are not properly serviced and maintained
• We want to make sure that all appliances are working efficiently, otherwise this may result in an increase in your household energy bills
• The inspection helps to keep your boiler and appliances in good working order so they’re less likely to break down

What will happen if I don’t allow a gas engineer into my home?

Your tenancy agreement requires you to allow us access to complete your annual gas safety inspection and if you do not allow us access, we will take legal action against you.  This could include us seeking an injunction to permit forced entry to your home or us seeking possession of the property. We will charge you for any legal costs incurred. 

What if I’m in rent arrears?

Don’t worry; this won’t affect your appointment on the day.  The engineer visiting your home won’t discuss any rent arrears you may have.

How do I know when my next gas safety inspection is due?

When your inspection is due, you’ll receive a letter from one of our registered gas contractors (K&T Heating or TSG Building Services) letting you know when a gas engineer will be visiting your home to carry out the safety inspection.

If you’d like to check when your next inspection is due, you can get in touch with our contractors, who will be able to help; their contact details can be found at the bottom of this page. If you’re unsure which contractor to contact, then please call our Customer Service Centre on 01403 220440 or email us at service.centre@shgroup.org.uk.

Is there anything else I need to know?

• Before your safety inspection, you’ll need to check that you have credit on both your gas and electric key/card or meter.  If you’re unlikely to have credit you could contact our Customer Service Centre on 01403 220440 or email service.centre@shgroup.org.uk
• Please make sure that someone over the age of 18 is at home on the day of the appointment, if you can’t be
• Whenever we complete a gas inspection, we’ll provide you with a copy of the safety certificate within 28 days

Useful contacts:

K&T Heating

Freephone: 0800 193 0300

Email address: shg@ktheating.co.uk

TSG Building Services

Freephone: 0800 085 3965

Email address: shgroup@tsgplc.co.uk