A housing association has been warned after up to date electrical and gas safety documents weren’t provided during a council inspection of a Maryhill property.
Queens Cross Housing Association failed to show a complete electrical installation certificate and a current gas safety certificate when council officials visited 26 Springbank Street in March last year.
Staff blamed contractor delays due to a “huge backlog” of work caused by the covid pandemic for the issue.
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Glasgow councillors agreed to renew the housing association’s houses in multiple occupation [HMO] licence for the property, but issued a warning over its future management.
The two-storey end terraced home was first used as a HMO in 2015 and houses five people.
After the inspection, council officials reported a complete electrical installation, including portable electrical appliances, must be inspected by an electrical engineer, with any defects rectified and an inspection certificate submitted to the council.
They also said a current gas safety certificate required to be provided.
Cllr Alex Wilson, who chairs the licensing committee asked why it took so long for portable appliance tests to be carried out. Jennifer Melrose, from the housing association, said: “There’s a number of reasons, in short, contractor delays.”
She added over the covid period, the contractor had “a huge backlog of work” so although they had been instructed to carry out portable appliance testing, it hadn’t been completed.
“Internally we had not followed it up until we received notification from the HMO unit,” she added. “It’s entirely a breakdown on our part.”
Bailie Jim Kavanagh said: “During the backlog, your contractor couldn’t deliver because quite simply they were under pressure.
“Would it not have been prudent for Queens Cross, being a large housing association, to bring on another contractor to alleviate the overload within the system?”
Mrs Melrose said, under the terms of a contract, the housing association was “tied to one contractor”. She said internal staff had carried out some work but on this occasion there had been a “miscommunication”.
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