A London landlord has been prosecuted by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and jailed for endangering tenants after illegally installing a boiler that he then repeatedly tried to fix after it developed a leak.
Harpal Singh attempted to repair his faulty handiwork at the Tottenham Hale property three times before a worried tenant contacted National Grid for help. A qualified technician then immediately disconnected the gas supply.
A subsequent investigation revealed six faults with his installation and clear evidence that he had failed to appoint a Gas Safe registered engineer to do the work, as required by law.
On 22 November, Westminster Magistrates Court was told that Mr Singh installed the boiler and associated pipework at the house in January 2013. His tenants immediately complained of a strong smell of gas throughout the property, and continued to do so despite a number of visits to rectify the problem.
It wasn't until 8 May that National Grid intervened to disconnect the supply. A Gas Safe investigation then highlighted clear faults with the work, and with Mr Singh's legal duty of care as a landlord.
There was nothing to suggest he had appointed a competent person to do the work, and no certification to show that another gas appliance at the property had been annually checked, as the law also states.
The matter was passed to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), who prosecuted him for three separate breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.
Mr Singh pleaded guilty to all three charges and was jailed for a total of 26 weeks and ordered to pay £1,852 in costs.
