Gas safety inspections

Just had some sad news that a friend has passed away with suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in Spain. He and his wife were renting a villa near Benidorm with a presumably bottle fed boiler.

Does anyone know when safety inspections should be carried out for gas appliances for rental properties?

Plus, are there any organisations that can offer advice. I've suggested the consulate but wondering about anything else?

I would imagine, that the safest bet would be to service them annually as in the UK. Sorry to hear about your friend, but without adequate servicing and the proper ventilation, it is an accident waiting to happen. Best be safe not sorry.

Hi Mark
Sorry to hear about your friend, in the UK it is now mandatory to have carbon monoxide monitors fitted in rental properties and should be everywhere.

Personaly I would fit a Combination Smoke & CO Alarm they cost around 40 euros to buy and are battery operated.

Having been in the industry for my working life,i have to say the use of antiquated water heaters (open flued)and fitted just about any where is quite scary and in most cases has been outlawed in uk for 30 + years i personally fitted so called safety devices retrospectively to many of these,they are rarely fitted correctly here in the meditteranean,i would have been prosecuted by the hse for most of the installations round here,when using them if inside the building a window should be left open,we had warning labels stuck to them to say so. You may remember Esther Rantzen waged a war to get them replaced. I,m so sorry about your friends,we probably have a generation of people who do not know the dangers of fossil burning fuel yes coal oil wood gas can all cause carbon monoxide should be treated with care

Thanks for your comments so far. I think the family are asking questions about specific rules here in Spain. The property was rented long term inland near Benidorm and the main question that I've been asked is :- What are the minimal requirements for servicing/ checks with regard to timescales and responsibilities for Gas appliances.

Hi Mark Link below taken from Spanish Property Insight. I have not read it but it may be usefull.

http://www.spanishpropertyinsight.com/2 ... ntal-laws/

scubydoo wrote:Hi Mark Link below taken from Spanish Property Insight. I have not read it but it may be usefull.

http://www.spanishpropertyinsight.com/2 ... ntal-laws/

Good article!