Landlord Gas Safety Certificates in South Molton

I inspect every fixed gas appliance and the whole gas installation.

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

Gas hob or cooker: every burner tested for safe ignition and operation, with the flame failure device checked on each ring individually.

Gas fires and back boilers: some of South Molton's older town centre housing has gas fires as primary or secondary heating, and a few of the oldest properties still have a back boiler sitting behind one. Given their age those need careful inspection. An appliance nobody uses still goes in the CP12 if it's connected to the supply.

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

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

Safety devices: overheat thermostats, flame failure devices and pressure relief valves tested on every appliance.

Everything I find gets explained clearly, in plain English rather than engineer-speak.

South Molton is mainly a residential rental market, but the town and the wider EX36 area do have holiday accommodation — cottages in the surrounding villages, places let for breaks on Exmoor or the Tarka Trail, and rural boltholes in the hamlets east and south of the town.

The Regulations apply to holiday accommodation on exactly the same terms as a long-term let. A cottage let for a fortnight at a time in summer still needs an annual CP12. How often it's occupied makes no difference at all.

If you let commercially, the MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards) rules are worth a thought. Commercially let properties have to meet minimum EPC thresholds, and rural North Devon buildings — old stone or cob, with less efficient heating — often struggle to get a decent rating. The gas heating system is a big part of that score. I'll give you an honest view of the boiler's condition and efficiency during the gas safety inspection, though a formal EPC assessment is a separate job.

One specific point for rural EX36. A lot of farmhouses, cottages and agricultural conversions round here are on LPG rather than mains gas. LPG appliances are covered by gas-safety law, but the engineer has to hold Gas Safe registration for the relevant LPG work. I don't do LPG boiler work or LPG CP12 inspections. Oil boiler work is a separate thing again and needs an OFTEC-registered engineer, which is also outside my scope.

EX36 covers South Molton and a wide stretch of country around it.

Town centre properties: the older terraces and semis on East Street, around the Square and along Molton Cross are some of the town's longest-standing rental stock. Expect older conventional boiler systems, boilers from before the 2005 condensing requirement, and in some cases gas fires or back boilers left over from the original installation.

Newer development: the more recent housing round the edges of town normally has a modern combi. Those checks are usually quick and straightforward.

Surrounding villages and rural properties: Filleigh, Bishops Nympton, George Nympton, North Molton and the wider rural EX36. A fair share of these run on LPG rather than mains gas. LPG gas-safety work needs a Gas Safe engineer whose registration covers it; oil boiler work needs an OFTEC-registered engineer. Tarka doesn't currently offer either.

Carbon monoxide comes from any gas appliance burning without enough air. You can't see it or smell it, and a working alarm is the only reliable way to know it's there. In properties with older gas fires or back boilers, where blocked flues and worn components are more likely, the risk is higher than with a modern combi.

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 — the room with the boiler in it, and any room with a gas fire. It has to be tested and working at the start of each new tenancy.

I test for CO around every appliance during the inspection with a calibrated analyser. But testing once a year isn't monitoring. A permanently fitted alarm covers the eleven and a half months I'm not there.

If your South Molton property has an older gas fire or a back boiler, I'd push harder than usual for an alarm near it. I can supply and fit one during the visit if you'd like.

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.

I cover South Molton, Filleigh, Bishops Nympton, North Molton and the surrounding EX36 area.