A landlord in Wirral has been fined £7,400 after failing to conduct mandatory annual gas safety checks at a rental property for eight years, highlighting ongoing compliance challenges in the buy-to-let sector.
Adam Evans, of Brownlow Road, New Ferry, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 36(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 at Wirral Magistrates’ Court. He was fined £2,400 and ordered to pay £5,000 in costs.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched its investigation in October 2024 following a referral from Wirral Borough Council. The property on Salisbury Drive in New Ferry was occupied by a tenant and her five children, who had lived there since 2016 without any annual gas safety inspections being carried out.
Regulatory compliance challenges
When HSE requested gas safety records from Evans, he provided only a certificate dated November 2024, completed after the concern was raised. No documentation was available for the preceding eight years.
The case comes as landlords increasingly turn to agents amid regulatory complexity, with compliance requirements creating additional administrative burdens for property owners.
Current regulations require landlords to ensure gas appliances are inspected every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with records retained for verification. Carbon monoxide alarms must also be installed in properties with gas appliances.
Enforcement action increasing
HSE inspector Ian Betley stated: “Adam Evans showed a complete disregard for the law and put the lives of a mother and her children at risk. Annual gas safety checks are a legal duty and are in place to protect tenants from very real and potentially fatal risks.”
He added that landlords must ensure gas appliances and flues are properly maintained and inspected, warning that “failure to do so will not be tolerated and enforcement action will be taken.”
The sentencing follows a recent HSE warning about a surge in prosecutions against those carrying out illegal gas work, indicating heightened regulatory scrutiny across the sector.
The case underscores the financial and legal risks facing landlords who fail to meet statutory obligations, as rental prices reach new highs amid ongoing supply constraints in the market.
