THINKING of installing a new gas appliance in your home? If you are, there are some important changes in the law which you need to consider. All gas engineers now have to be Gas Safe Registered. This has replaced the Corgi registration scheme

These changes are part of efforts to clamp down on unregistered gas installers, and to safeguard homeowners by guaranteeing that work is carried out to clearly defined standards All gas installers must notify GAS SAFE and their local building control of any gas installation work. GAS SAFE will then issue the homeowner with a certificate of compliance and safety declaration This will confirm the installer is adequately qualified and registered for the work undertaken.

Anyone selling their home will be expected to include copies of the compliance and safety certificates issued for new appliances as part of the home information pack. Gas Care UK of Glossop, is acting to reassure customers by carrying out for them all the necessary paperwork when it installs any new appliance. "We feel the public need to be made aware of the changes so they can ensure that they are choosing a GAS SAFE registered installer who is following the legislation", said Dave Wright of Gas Care.

"Once the work is completed, if the installer is following the legislation, the completed the declaration of safety and building regulations compliance certificates, will be issued by GAS SAFE. These documents not only reassure customers that the work has been undertaken by a competent GAS SAFE registered installer, but are crucial documentation when they come to sell their property". Dave added. "When choosing an installer, it is not enough to ask whether they are GAS SAFE registed. It is also important to ensure that they are registered to work on specific appliances, as there are many elements, to cover all domestic gas work in which an engineer has to be qualified. The certificates issued by GAS SAFE will confirm this".

Gas Care UK is promising to put all its customers minds at rest by ensuring that they receive all the necessary certificates, leaving them with nothing further to do." The changes have been introduced to increase safety levels and ultimately improve working practices across the industry". Dave also adds, "To ensure customers' peace of mind, we have taken the safety issues a step further by issuing our own safety certificates on all gas repairs and servicing work. We feel that all gas work should be certified under the legislation, not just new installations."