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First-time Buyer

Two-thirds of homebuyers don’t check gas safety

Paloma Kubiak
Written By:
Paloma Kubiak
Posted:
Updated:
17/11/2016

Up to 800,000 properties could be at risk of a life-threatening gas incident as homebuyers fail to get checks carried out before they move in.

Two in three people dont know if they are purchasing a potential death trap, according to new research carried out by CORGI HomePlan.

The firm said it has uncovered a shocking lack of safety checks being carried out by homebuyers, and with 1.2million property transactions taking place in the UK each year, this means 800,000 homes are at risk of a life-threatening gas incident including a carbon monoxide leak. Or they could face expensive repairs to boilers, fires, radiators and cookers.

The study of 1,000 people, carried out by CORGI HomePlan to mark Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week, revealed only one in 10 homebuyers considered it important to check a propertys safety before moving in. While one in four (28%) believed it was covered in the mortgage lenders survey.

The most common item new homeowners overlook is the working condition of their boiler – with almost four in 10 (39%) not getting a qualified engineer to test it.

Regional split

Scottish homebuyers were the least home-safe conscious with 73% of respondents having no gas safety checks carried out before deciding to purchase a home.

Wales was the safest region, with nearly eight in 10 respondents having a Gas Safe registered engineer check out their property before moving in. Londoners were least safety-conscious, with just 38% from the capital doing the same.

Kevin Treanor, director of CORGI HomePlan, said: Buying a new home is an exciting time and one that often involves committing yourself to the limit of your finances.

However, just as you wouldnt commit to buy a property without seeing the surveyors report first, it is just as important that home buyers also see the full service record of all gas appliances and have a Gas Safe registered engineer inspect the home too.

Carbon monoxide still kills around 50 people a year and every one of these deaths is avoidable. People must minimise the risks by making sure all their gas appliances are in full working order.