Your Housing Group has been placed on the Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) watch list for failing to carry out gas safety checks.
The Homes and Communities Agency is the national housing and regeneration agency for England. It is also the regulator of social housing providers and works with local partners to create new affordable homes and thriving neighbourhoods.
Last October, another housing association was placed on the watch list which flags up those registered providers that are at risk of becoming non-compliant with the HCA's rules. A finding of non-compliance would diminish the governance rating for that provider.
A spokesperson for the HCA said: 'Landlords have a legal obligation to service gas boilers annually. There are legal means of securing access if required. We expect providers to use the options available to them in a timely way to gain access.'
Gaining access to carry out gas servicing/safety checks has long been a problem for housing providers but the consequences of not doing so are potentially extremely serious. In addition to any action by the HCA, there is the risk of prosecution which could result in a £6,000 fine (for each breach) and/or imprisonment. In the event that there is a serious incident caused by a faulty appliance, personal injury claims and criminal prosecutions could follow. If landlords can show that steps were actively taken to try and carry out the check, this may reduce the risk of prosecution, but there is no automatic protection
