Landlord Gas Safety Certificates in Combe Martin

Every fixed gas appliance and the whole gas installation gets inspected.

Boiler: A full check — ignition, combustion analysis, heat exchanger condition, flue integrity and spillage test, and all the safety devices including the overheat thermostat and pressure relief valve.

Gas fires: Some of Combe Martin's older terraces still use a gas fire as backup or even main heating. They're tested for safe operation, ventilation and flue condition. A fire that's barely used but still connected to the supply goes in the inspection just the same.

Gas hob or cooker: Every burner tested, and the flame failure devices tested one at a time.

Gas pipework and tightness test: All accessible pipework inspected and the installation tested for gas tightness. If I suspect a leak, it's dealt with before I leave.

Ventilation: I confirm the required ventilation openings are there and clear.

Safety devices: All thermostats, flame failure devices and pressure relief valves tested.

Each appliance gets recorded as safe, At Risk (AR), or Immediately Dangerous (ID), and I'll explain all of it plainly.

Combe Martin has a decent holiday let trade. The beach at the bottom of the valley, the walking straight out into the woods and onto the cliff paths, and the short drive to Ilfracombe make it a good base for anyone visiting the North Devon coast. Properties at the seaward end, and some of the bigger cottages further up the combe, run as short-term lets alongside the longer-term rental market.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 apply to holiday accommodation exactly as they do to a standard tenancy. Any property with gas appliances let commercially needs an annual CP12. How many weeks a year it's occupied makes no difference at all.

A few things worth thinking about with a Combe Martin holiday let:

Seasonal and coastal factors. The combe funnels coastal wind and damp up from the sea, so properties in the lower village near the beach live in a rougher environment than those higher up. External flue terminals down there take salt air and weather, and I check those carefully.

Seasonal boiler use. A property that stands empty through winter and then fires up for Easter is more likely to throw a fault at the start of the season. An inspection in autumn, while the boiler's still in regular use and any deterioration is visible, or in February, gives you time to sort anything before the first guests turn up.

Portfolio management. Plenty of Combe Martin holiday let owners also have places in Ilfracombe, Woolacombe or further along the coast. I can plan a run that takes in several properties in a day, so it's worth mentioning if you've got more than one.

MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards). Commercially let properties have to meet minimum EPC requirements, and Combe Martin's older cottages and terraces can be hard work to rate well: solid walls, original features, not much insulation. The gas heating system feeds into that rating, and an old or inefficient boiler drags it down. I'll give you an honest view of the boiler's condition during the safety inspection.

Guest documentation. For a holiday let, the certificate wants to be where guests can find it — in the information folder near the boiler, not filed away at your house. A lot of letting platforms and agencies now ask to see a current CP12 before they'll list a property.

Combe Martin shares the EX34 postcode with Ilfracombe and Woolacombe.

The village is one long road, roughly two miles from the A399 at the top of the valley down to the beach. The housing changes as you travel it: older terraced cottages and farmhouse-style properties up top, a denser mix through the middle around the Pack o' Cards and the village centre, and more holiday-let character near the seafront.

Upper and middle village: Older residential stock, mostly longer-term tenancies. Some still have conventional boiler and cylinder systems rather than combis, and gas fires as secondary heating aren't unusual in the older cottages.

Lower village and seafront area: More of a mix between residential and holiday use, with some properties let seasonally and others running as holiday lets all year. The coastal exposure down here is a lot more direct than in the sheltered upper valley.

Carbon monoxide comes from any gas appliance burning without enough air. In Combe Martin's older properties, where gas fires, back boilers and less-than-perfect flue arrangements are more common, incomplete combustion is a real consideration rather than a theoretical one.

Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, landlords in England must fit a CO alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance. It has to be working at the start of every tenancy or guest stay.

I test for CO around every appliance during the inspection. But testing once a year isn't monitoring. A permanent alarm near the boiler, and near any gas fire, is what protects people day to day.

For a holiday let the case is stronger still. Guests who don't know the property are far less likely to notice the early signs than a tenant who lives there. If the property needs one, I can supply and fit a CO alarm while I'm in.

A CP12 for one appliance is £85 including VAT. Each additional appliance is £30, except gas fires, which are £80 each. Travel within 25 miles of South Molton is included; beyond that radius, a £30 including-VAT travel charge applies and is disclosed before booking.

I can line up several inspections on the same day where it works out. The standard published price applies to each property and its appliances.

You'll get an answer. Ring or message during the working day and you'll hear back the same day; evenings and weekends, it'll be the next working day. And if it isn't a job for me, I'll tell you that and point you at someone who can help, rather than going quiet on you.

When you book, I'll confirm it and give you a two-hour window rather than a whole day sat at home waiting. On the morning you get a text with a tracking link, so you can see where I've got to instead of wondering. Traffic and the job before yours are real, so it's a window rather than a promise to the minute, but if it slips you'll hear it from me first.

Call 01271 444410 or email info@tarkaboilersbarnstaple.co.uk.

Covering Combe Martin and the surrounding EX34 area. I can do several properties in one visit, so tell me what you've got when you call.