Additional safety services offered to leaseholders

Sovereign Kingfisher Press Release
Date: 06 February 2012

Additional safety services offered to leaseholders

Following the success of Sovereign Kingfisher’s Home Health and Safety Check, gas safety checks are now being offered to leaseholders and shared owners at a preferential rate.

The service, which covers gas, solid fuel and oil servicing, asbestos and water condition surveys, portable appliance as well as smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector testing was introduced in 2009. Over 100 leaseholders and shared owners have now taken advantage of the latest offer to have their gas servicing carried out at a preferential rate.

“These are important steps to make more people aware of the potential dangers of carbon monoxide in the home. I welcome Sovereign Kingfisher’s important work on this,” says Maria Miller MP, former chairman of the government’s Gas Safety Group.

This time of year is a known high-risk period when the majority of carbon monoxide incidents occur. Carbon monoxide is a silent killer and is the number 1 cause of unintentional poisoning death due to faulty heating appliances. (1)

“It’s important to service your gas boiler annually,” John Dyson, Sovereign’s Building Services Manager explains, “not only to avoid the unexpected breakdown but to ensure your gas boiler is working efficiently and safely-it could save your life!”

Under the terms of their tenancy agreements all of our residents are responsible for the servicing and maintenance of their gas boiler or other gas appliances. These should be checked regularly to make sure they are working safely and efficiently. Under the Home Health and Safety Check, each resident receives an annual visit from Sovereign Kingfisher’s contractor, Central Heating Services (CHS).

Leaseholders and shared owners may be asked to provide us with a copy of the gas safety certificate but now we can arrange for our ‘Gas Safe’ registered engineer to carry out the gas service, taking the onus off of the resident.

If you are a leaseholder or shared owner with Sovereign Kingfisher and would like to have your boiler checked at a preferential rate by our contractor, Central Heating Services (CHS), please contact your leasehold services officer on 01256 464114 or 0800 988 4858.

www.sovereign.org.uk/kingfisher
http://www.gas-safety-trust.org%20/ (1)

Notes to Editors

* Sovereign Housing Association is a charitable body. It comprises Sovereign South+West, Sovereign Twynham, Sovereign Kingfisher and Sovereign Vale, which were merged into a single legal entity in October 2011. Sovereign Housing Association includes the non-charitable Sovereign Living Limited. Sovereign is one of the largest providers of affordable housing in the south and south-west of England. It owns or manages more than 33,000 properties, offering a variety of tenures.

* For further information please contact Debbie Down, External Communications Advisor on 01256 302307 or email debbie.down@sovereign.org.uk