A private landlord who faked gas safety certificates for a buy to let home was handed a suspended jail sentence and ordered to pay court costs of almost £5,000.
Emran Hussain, 43, was caught out when a sharp-eyed official noticed the paperwork Hussain produced was dated eight months before the pad of certificates was printed.
Hussain admitted his deception and failing to maintain gas appliances at the rented home in Spalding Way, Cambridge at the city’s magistrates court.
He was jailed for two months for each offence, suspended for 12 months, ordered to wear an electronic tag for two months and must pay £4,768 costs.
The court was told Cambridge City Council issued a notice in October 2009 demanding Hussain produce a valid gas safety certificate for the rental property.
He failed to do so, so the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) served an improvement notice that he also ignored.
As a result, Hussain handed over a certificate at hearing which was dated to comply with the improvement notice..
Checks revealed the certificate was fake. The pad from which the certificate was taken wasn’t printed until August 2011 – eight months after the record was allegedly signed off.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Roxanne Barker said: “Every year, around 20 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by improperly installed or maintained gas appliances. Many others suffer ill health. There were four tenants at the property for which Hussain was responsible, all of whom were put at unnecessary risk.”
“Mr Husain then attempted to deceive HSE and the Court by producing a document which he knew to be false.
“It is important that landlords fulfil their legal gas safety obligations to their tenants by ensuring that an annual gas safety check is carried out by a suitably qualified Gas Safe registered engineer, and that tenants are provided with a copy of these checks.”
