The same homes on the no-access list every year
Most homes with gas appliances are serviced without any trouble. A smaller group is the problem every year. The contractor sends a letter, turns up, gets no answer, leaves a card, sends a second letter. The housing officer is told weeks later and tries to call. Meanwhile the service date comes closer, and the gas safety team spends its days on a spreadsheet of access cases.
When a case reaches the formal end of your access procedure, somebody has to gather every letter, card and call attempt to show what was done. The records are spread across the contractor's system, the housing management system and email.
Why access keeps failing
Letters with a fixed appointment work for many tenants but not all. Some are at work, some do not open post, some are anxious about visitors, some have language or health needs that make a standard letter unhelpful. And because each attempt is logged separately, nobody sees the whole picture until late.
- The process starts too close to the service due date.
- Contact is by letter first, whatever the tenant's preference.
- Contractor attempts and housing officer attempts are recorded in different systems.
- Vulnerability and support needs are not visible to the gas contractor.
- Escalation to the next step depends on someone checking the spreadsheet.
What access problems cost
The obvious risk is a home going past its service date, which is exactly the situation your gas safety policy exists to prevent. Beyond that, repeated failed visits cost contractor time, officer time and, at the end, the time and cost of formal steps to gain access. Reporting to your board on gas safety performance takes longer because the access cases need explaining one by one.
The access tracker we build
- Every home with gas appliances is listed with its last service date and the date the next one is due, read from your housing management or compliance system.
- The access process starts at a point you choose ahead of the due date, with a message in the tenant's preferred channel as well as the standard letter.
- Tenants can pick or confirm an appointment slot through a link where the contractor's scheduling allows, or reply to arrange a time.
- Every attempt, whether letter, text, call, card or visit, is recorded in one history against the home, from the contractor's system or entered by officers.
- Homes where the tenant has vulnerability flags or support needs are identified early, so the housing officer can make contact in the right way.
- Each stage of your access procedure has a trigger, for example no appointment after a number of attempts, and cases move to the next step and owner automatically.
- When a case reaches the formal stage, the full history of attempts is ready as a single record for your team and advisers.
| Stage | Owner | Trigger to move on |
|---|---|---|
| Early contact | Gas team | Starts ahead of due date |
| Appointment attempts | Contractor | Set number of failed attempts |
| Housing officer contact | Housing officer | No appointment after contractor attempts |
| Formal stage | Your legal or compliance team | Your procedure's criteria met |
Your gas safety policy, access procedure and any legal steps are decided by you and your advisers. We build the tracking and communication around them and do not give safety or legal advice.
What the gas safety team sees
Access cases are visible months before the due date rather than weeks. Tenants hear from you in ways they respond to. Housing officers are brought in early, especially for households who need a different approach. When a case does reach the formal stage, the record is already complete, and board reporting shows how many cases are at each step.
Is this where your gas servicing stands?
- The same homes appear on the no-access list every year.
- Access is managed on a spreadsheet.
- Contractor and officer attempts are recorded in different places.
- Housing officers are told about access problems late.
- Gathering the history for formal steps takes days.