Landlord Gas Safety Certificates in Fremington

The inspection covers every fixed gas appliance and the whole gas installation in the property.

Boiler: A full check — ignition, combustion analysis, heat exchanger condition, flue spillage test, and every safety device: overheat thermostat, pressure relief valve and the associated controls.

Gas hob or cooker: Every burner tested for safe ignition and operation. The flame failure device on each ring, the valve that stops the gas if the flame goes out, gets tested on its own.

Gas fires: Operation, ventilation and flue condition. Some of Fremington's older properties have gas fires in the living room, especially those built before central heating was standard, and they get inspected in the same visit.

Gas pipework and tightness test: All accessible pipework checked and the whole installation tested for gas tightness. If I suspect a leak, it's dealt with on the spot.

Ventilation: I confirm that the ventilation openings appliances need are there and clear.

Safety devices: Overheat thermostats, flame failure devices and pressure relief valves tested on every appliance in the property.

Each appliance gets recorded as safe, At Risk (AR), or Immediately Dangerous (ID), and I'll explain every finding clearly before I leave.

Fremington isn't really a holiday let village. It sits slightly off the coastal tourist routes. But with the Taw estuary on the doorstep, Fremington Quay's heritage railway connection, and this stretch of North Devon generally being rather lovely, some properties do run as short-term lets, mostly for people walking the Tarka Trail and exploring the area.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 apply to short-term and holiday accommodation exactly as they do to a long tenancy. Any property let commercially with gas appliances needs an annual CP12. The 28-day provision rule for long-term tenants doesn't work quite the same way for holiday guests, but the certificate should still be somewhere they can find it during their stay.

If a property runs as both a home and an occasional holiday let, the heavier use and the constant turnover of people is all the more reason to keep the inspection current and have a working CO alarm fitted. Guests in an unfamiliar house are far less likely to notice or report a heating problem that a long-term tenant would flag straight away.

Fremington sits in EX31, sharing the postcode with much of central and western Barnstaple.

Fremington village: A mix of housing types, from older cottages to newer family homes. Most of the village core has been on gas for decades with fairly standard installations. Older properties may still have conventional boiler and cylinder systems; anything from the 1990s onwards will usually be a combi.

Yelland and Chivenor: Next door, and also in EX31. Yelland is largely residential; Chivenor has both residential and some industrial and commercial use next to the former airbase. Rentals here tend to be straightforward as far as the gas installation goes.

Bickington: A small village south of Barnstaple, easily reached. Some agricultural character to the surrounding area and a mix of property types.

Fremington Quay: The restored quay building on the estuary is a proper attraction, and there's some residential character around it. Properties near the water with a holiday let element benefit from an engineer who can get there quickly.

If something needs sorting at short notice — a failed inspection needing remedial work, or a renewal with a tight deadline — call me and I'll check my route and what I've got free.

Carbon monoxide is produced by any gas appliance burning without enough air. You can't see it and you can't smell it. Without a working alarm, nobody in the house gets any warning until the effects start.

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 in it, which includes the room the boiler is in. It has to be tested and working at the start of every new tenancy.

During the inspection I check for CO around every appliance with a calibrated analyser. That gives you a reading for that afternoon, not protection for the year. A permanently fitted alarm near the boiler is what covers the gap between inspections, every day.

If there's no alarm, or the existing one has reached the end of its life, I can supply and fit one during the visit. In most properties it's a quick job.

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.

If you've got several properties in Fremington, Yelland or Bickington, I can often do them all on the same day. Tell me what you have when you call and I'll work out the most sensible way round them.

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 Fremington, Yelland, Chivenor, Bickington and the surrounding EX31 area.