Tenant evicted after ignoring requests for landlord access to property

A tenant has been evicted after she refused to let her landlord enter his property in order to carry out a gas safety check.
Knowsley Housing Trust (KHT) had tried for months to gain access to a property in order to check the safety of the gas supply. Apparently, the housing trust called at the property nine times and didn’t get any response.

However, the resident would not let them enter and as a result, she is now the first person in history to be evicted by the housing trust for missed gas safety certificates.

It’s a landlord’s legal obligation to make sure gas safety checks are carried out as well as getting energy performance certificates for every property they own.
If you’re a private landlord who has tenants, make sure you get access to your properties to make essential checks. You must have an annual gas safety check carried out of relevant appliances. If you fail to produce a valid gas safety certificate, it can result in prosecution and also invalidate your landlords insurance which means that you are left open to civil claims. If your failure to carry out a check leads to a tenant’s death from carbon monoxide poisoning, then you could be charged with manslaughter.

If you’re having trouble accessing your property, speak to an expert straight away. It may well be that evictions are avoidable, but if not, as in the case above, they will be able to handle the eviction swiftly and to the letter of the law, on your behalf. Don’t be tempted to ignore the situation just because a tenant is paying their rent. It really isn’t worth it. If you have any issues, contact Legal 4 Landlords for advice.