One Vision Housing

Demonstrating a 'no-nonsense' approach in dealing with tenants who refuse essential gas safety checks One Vision Housing has successfully completed legal proceedings against six tenants.

All six tenants were ordered by Liverpool Civil and Family Court to allow engineers access to complete the checks and were ordered to each pay costs of £245.

The court also ordered two further tenants to pay costs of £245 for failing to allow access until Court proceedings had begun.

The injunctions represent the latest development in a sustained borough-wide crackdown by One Vision Housing on tenants who refuse to grant access to essential gas safety inspections.

The organisation is currently carrying out a rolling programme of annual gas safety check of its 11,300 properties across Sefton and had warned that it will get tough where tenants don't co-operate.

Andrew Spencer, One Vision Housing Director of Investment and Regeneration said: "Tenants who fail to let engineers gain access to their property to inspect gas equipment are putting their own families and their neighbours at risk from Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning.

"Recent figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that every year approximately 20 people die in the UK from CO poisoning as a direct result of gas appliances and flues that have not been properly installed  or maintained. Many others also suffer ill health.

"You can't see it, taste it or smell it bot CO can kill quickly without warning."

The risk of CO poisoning could be dramatically reduced by increasing general understanding of the risks and by taking sensible precautions.

Fuel gas is safe to use. It is only when gas does not burn properly, as with other fuels such as coal, wood or oil, that excess CO is produced, which is poisonous, and this can be covered through regular servicing.

Andrew Spencer continued: "We have a duty to check all our homes and make sure that all gas fittings in our properties are safe - and it is in our tenants' interests that they let us in to do this.

"Failure to carry out these inspections could result in unnecessary deaths and in accidents involving not just the tenants of the uninspected properties but also their neighbours.

"Our gas contractors have been as flexible as they can be, but in the interests of safety we have been left with no option but to commence legal proceedings and we are extremely pleased that the court has supported us with these injunctions."

Any tenants who wish to reverse their decision to deny access and avoid legal proceedings - up to £500 - should contact One Vision Housing immediately to make an appointment for inspection.