A London landlord has been jailed for endangering his tenants after he illegally installed a boiler that he then repeatedly tried to fix after it developed a leak.

Harpal Singh, 53, attempted to repair his faulty handiwork at the Tottenham Hale property on three occasions before a concerned tenant phoned National Grid for help. A qualified technician then immediately disconnected the gas supply.

A subsequent investigation revealed six faults with his installation, as well as clear evidence that Mr Singh had failed to appoint a Gas Safe registered engineer to do the work, as the law requires.

Westminster Magistrates Court was told that Mr Singh installed the boiler and associated pipework at a three-bedroomed house on Montague Road in January 2013. His tenants immediately complained of a strong smell of gas throughout the property, and continued to do so despite a number of visits to rectify the problem.


It wasn't until 8 May that National Grid intervened to disconnect the supply. A Gas Safe investigation then highlighted clear faults with the work, and with Mr Singh's legal duty of care as a landlord.

There was nothing to suggest he had appointed a competent person to do the work, and no certification to show that another gas appliance at the property had been annually checked, as the law also states.

The matter was passed to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), who prosecuted him for three separate breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.

Harpal Singh, of Higham Road, London, N17, was jailed for a total of 26 weeks and ordered to pay £1,852 in costs after pleading guilty to all three breaches.

The judge ruled that imprisonment was justified to reflect his high culpability and the fact he acted "fast and loose" with the lives of his tenants.

(CD/JP)