Landlord handed suspended sentence after failing to maintain gas appliances

A landlord from Blackburn has been fined after failing to maintain gas appliances at his rental properties in Norwich.

Norwich Magistrates’ Court heard how inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Gas Safe Register inspected a property at Kings Lynn in Norfolk in 2017 where they found a gas oven to be ‘at risk’ and the gas central heating boiler to be unsafe to use.

An investigation by the HSE found the landlord, Steven Ladell, not only failed in his duty to have the gas appliances regularly inspected or maintained, but he also failed to provide his tenants with a Landlords Gas Safety Certificate.

The landlord also failed to comply with an Improvement Notice issued in July last year, which required he take action to deal with these issues.

Ladell pleaded guilty to breaching Section 21 of the Health & Safety Work etc. Act 1974 and breaching Regulation 36(2) and Regulation 36(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.

He was given a 20-week prison sentence suspended for 24 months, ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid community work and to pay full costs of £4,146.

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