A notice in a kitchen drawer
Your engineer services a boiler at a rented flat, finds a problem, follows the procedure he's trained in, and issues a warning notice. The paper copy stays with the tenant. His copy goes in the van. The office finds out a week later, when the landlord rings to ask what the notice means and whether you can fix it.
Nobody in the office can say which notices were issued last month, or whether any of those customers were offered a repair.
When the landlord's agent asks for a copy of the notice for their records, the office has to ring the engineer and ask him to photograph the copy in his van.
Why notices aren't tracked
What an engineer does when they find an unsafe situation is their professional responsibility, following the industry procedure they're trained in. That part is not the problem. The problem is the record afterwards: paper notices, photos on phones, and follow-up that depends on the engineer mentioning it.
| After the notice | Common gap |
|---|---|
| Office record | None until someone asks |
| Photos | On the engineer's phone |
| Landlord or owner informed | Via the tenant, sometimes |
| Repair offered | Not followed up |
| Any reporting your engineer decides is needed | Not logged centrally |
Rented properties add complexity. The tenant is there, the landlord is not, and the agent may or may not be involved. Who needs to know about the notice, and how quickly, depends on your procedures and the situation, but the information has to reach the right people, not just the person who opened the door.
Why the record matters
If a situation is later questioned, a clear record of what was found, what was done and who was told matters. Landlords and homeowners who don't understand a notice ring you, and a clear explanation helps. And a repair not offered is work lost and a risk left in place longer than it should be.
We don't advise on gas safety procedure. Your engineers and registration body do.
It also helps your engineers. An engineer who issues a notice and then hears nothing more may wonder whether anyone followed up. A clear record shows them that the office picked it up.
The notice register we build
- On-site capture: when an engineer issues a notice, they record it on their phone with the appliance, the classification they chose, photos and what they did.
- Copy for the customer: the customer and, where relevant, the landlord get a digital copy alongside the paper notice.
- Reporting log: any reporting your engineer decides is required is recorded with its date and reference.
- Remedy offer: the office sees the notice straight away and can send a quote for the remedial work.
- Follow-up: open notices are listed until closed, whether by repair, customer refusal recorded, or another outcome your process allows.
- Review: your lead engineer can review notices across the team for consistency and training needs.
The capture form follows the headings of the notice your engineers already use, so they are not learning a new way of describing a situation, only recording it digitally as well.
Every notice has an end
The office knows about notices the day they're issued. Customers get a clear copy. Remedial work is offered. And you have a complete, dated record of what was found and what happened.
It also supports training. Your lead engineer can see the types of situation engineers are meeting and whether notices are being recorded consistently, which helps with toolbox talks and mentoring.
It also means your engineers are not left carrying the follow-up in their heads. Once the notice is recorded, the office owns the next step.
Is this a gap for you?
- Warning notices are paper-only.
- The office learns about notices when customers call.
- Photos of unsafe situations stay on engineers' phones.
- Remedial quotes aren't offered after a notice.
- You couldn't list last month's notices quickly.