As your landlord we regularly carry out safety checks and inspections in your home. This includes the servicing, sweeping and inspecting of solid fuel installations, log/multi-fuel burners and open fires – even if they are solely used as a decorative feature.
We'll regularly service and sweep all solid fuel installations that are well maintained and in good, usable condition.
Where possible, we will complete minor repairs to open fires and log or multi-fuel burners that are in useable order to ensure the safety of the installation. This is dependent on economic cost and availability of parts.
If our engineer finds a serious fault during an inspection, a warning notice will be issued and the appliance will be blocked off to prevent further use.
Non-repairable installations will be removed, and the chimney blocked. An electric fire will also be installed where applicable.
If redundant open fires or other solid fuel appliances remain unused, the chimney, flue and other fireplace components will deteriorate over time - even when solely for decorative purposes.
If you have a redundant fire place in your home, we’ll arrange to block the chimney pot and fit an electric fire for you.
Unfortunately, we no longer allow permission for new log/multi-fuel burners to be fitted or disused open fires to be reinstated. However, we will honour any written permission that has been given in the past. If we don't already carry out the maintenance and sweep, we’ll need regular certification from you that the solid fuel appliance has received maintenance from an accredited chimney sweep (HETAS, NACS or similar).