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Renfrewshire Council Annual Report 2008 - 2009 Safety of non electrical goods supplied with rented accommodation
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This page has information and advice about the health and safety law covering non electrical goods in rented accommodation. Use these links to find out about the law as it relates to particular categories of products:
Upholstered Furniture
The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 were introduced to reduce the number of people killed and injured by toxic fumes given off when some upholstery materials burn.
All upholstered furniture must comply with the flammability requirements of these regulations.
The definition of 'upholstered furniture' is wide and includes:
- sofas
- armchairs
- seat pads
- futons
- beds
- headboards
- mattresses.
Furniture that does not carry a permanent label claiming compliance with the regulations must be considered to be suspect and you should replace it.
The permanent label should state that the foam or non-foam fillings used are combustion modified (CM) or compliant with the relevant ignitability test, that the covers are match resistant and that the upholstery
(covers and fillings) are cigarette resistant.
The label can usually be found stitched into the furniture under the cushions or on the base. If the label is coming off, make sure that you reattach it with glue and staples. These are examples of the label:
Mattresses should have a blue label with a match and cigarette symbol and will state compliance with BS7177.
The label is stitched into the piping, normally at the top or bottom of the mattress.
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Gas Appliances
If you are a landlord letting a property equipped with gas appliances you need to understand and comply with the law relating to gas safety. If you let a property, you must make sure that pipe work, appliances and flues provided for tenants are maintained in a safe condition. You need to have a gas safety check every year. A Gas Safe registered engineer must carry out the safety check in your properties in Great Britain and the Isle of Man. You must give your tenants a copy of the gas safety certificate within 28 days of it being carried out or before they move in.
You are also obliged to show your tenants how they can turn off the gas supply in the event of a gas leak.
Annual checks
As a landlord, you are legally responsible for making sure that a Gas Safe registered engineer checks the gas appliances in your rental properties every 12 months and gives you copies of the gas safety certificates.
Gas safety certificates
When your Gas Safe registered engineer has checked the gas appliances in your rental property they will give you a gas safety certificate. This certificate confirms the gas appliances have been checked and are safe.
You must give your tenant a copy of these gas safety certificates within 28 days of the checks being done, or give a copy of the gas safety certificate to a new tenant before they move in.
Remember, you must keep a record of each safety check for two years.
- have legible and durable markings on the controls
- have adequate pan supports
- have tap handles that are easy to operate but are not liable to be turned on accidentally
- ignite promptly
- have oven doors which seal in hot gases
- have instructions for safe use
- not have sharp edges
- not have a casing which gets hot enough to cause injury.
Fire guards
Various regulations apply to the size of gaps in the guards of electric fires, oil heaters and gas fires all of which are designed to prevent heating elements or flames being touched.
As a rule of thumb, if you can touch the heating elements or flames, the appliance cannot be considered safe and should be replaced. Old or second hand appliances often do not meet current safety regulations. and in such cases we recommend the purchase of new appliances.
Other products
Any other goods not mentioned in this leaflet that are provided by landlords should not be dangerous under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. For example lawn mowers should have guards in place and ironing boards and clothes dryers should be strong enough for normal use.
Glass in tables and display cases should be sufficiently strong to avoid breaking. We recommend that, unless the glass is labelled as tempered, toughened or laminated, the item should be replaced with a non-glass equivalent.
Further detailed advice can be found on the Directgov website.
Contact information
- email: ts.es@renfrewshire.gov.uk
- phone: 0141 840 3184 (option 2)
- call in or write to us at:
- Trading Standards
Environmental Services
Renfrewshire House
Cotton Street
Paisley
PA1 1BR
