A landlord has been prosecuted after he authorised illegal gas work to be carried out at a property he owned, putting the lives of his tenants at risk.
Dinyar Sarkari, from Stanmore, North London, arranged the installation of a new gas boiler at a property he owned in Radnor Road, Luton, which was let to a young family.
Mr Sarkari commissioned the installation following complaints from his tenants regarding the central heating system in the property failing to work properly. However, he employed gas fitters who were not registered with Gas Safe Register – as is required by law.
Following the boiler installation, the tenants contacted the National Grid as they had concerns about gas leakage. Registered gas technicians visited the property and immediately turned off the gas supply. They also informed the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) about the issue. Mr Sarkari then supplied the HSE with false documentation as part of legally required Landlord’s Gas Safety Records.
The landlord was prosecuted by the HSE and pleaded guilty to three breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, and one breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 at Luton Magistrates’ Court. He was handed a two month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and 150 hours of community work, alongside fines of £5,000 and costs of £9,814.
HSE inspector, Robert Meardon, told Luton On Sunday: “People die every year and many more are harmed by gas related incidents. People can be overcome by carbon monoxide, or affected by an explosion.
“It is vital that only competent people work on gas fittings and appliances. They must be a member of the Gas Safe Register. Landlords in particular have a duty of care and must ensure the safety of their tenants by having such appliances fitted and checked annually by someone on this Register.”