Vic - Gas Heater Carbon Monoxide Test Required Every 2 Years?

I got an email from my Victorian PM stating

We have received some important information from Consumer Affairs with regards to Vulcan and Pyrox Heritage gas heaters in rental properties

If you think that your investment property may have one of these heaters please read the attached document and advise us if you would like to undertake the appropriate tests.​

In the attached letter which has Victorian state government logo, it says

What does this mean for landlords and property managers?
If your rental property has a Vulcan Heritage OR Pyrox Heritage heater, you must: tell your tenant to stop using the heater until it has been tested by a qualified gasfitter, and organise for a qualified gasfitter to test the heater.​

I emailed the PM asking her to call the tenant to ask what brand is in there so that I don't spend hundreds of dollars on a call out fee if it isn't even the same brand.

She didn't mention anything about calling the tenants at all, and replied with a form saying

Our agency is proud to offer the implementation of its gas heater carbon monoxide testing program to our clients.

The Residential Tenancies Act 1997 requires that landlords ensure gas heating appliances supplied in their rented accommodation are properly maintained and safe to use. Energy Safe Victoria recommends that gas heating appliances are serviced, at a minimum, every two years and ambient conditions such as adequate ventilation tested to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide leaking.

The benefits of this service to you:
· Fully tax deductable
· This service has been designed in close consultation with Energy Safe Victoria to ensure all service requirements are met providing protection for your investment and tenants
· Servicing heaters can reduce the risk of fire

Investment: $199 + GST every second year.​

It looks a lot to me like a sales pitch. Why is the person I am already paying to manage my property appearing to 'sell' me this service by saying it is tax deductible?


Could others please let me know your experience with this situation and what you have decided to do?
Thanks in advance.

 

Carbon monoxide from Vulcan or Pyrox Heritage gas space heaters

Program in place to address CO risk in Heritage gas heaters

Found this little gem in the following page.

Climate Technologies will provide a $150 rebate towards the cost of this test. If a problem is detected, Climate Technologies will discuss a range of options with you, including servicing or maintenance of the heater, or increasing ventilation. If the heater needs to be decommissioned, Climate Technologies will contribute to the cost. Phone (03) 8795 2462 for more information.

The 2 year test cycle is a recommendation, it is not a part of the act.

The PM's proposal is just a service for which they get a commission.

That not to say you should still act on the possibility that you have one of the nominated heaters. You have every right to know what type of heater you have installed and either tenant or PM should provide the info.

 

We have have always found it a good idea to have heaps of photos of our investment properties, that includes pictures of nameplates of appliances and model numbers , It makes life a lot easier when dealing with these sort of problems.
If something needs to be replaced,(or a recall) we can generally find out the dimension sizes pretty quickly for replacement.

 

I have the gas heater in my IP serviced every two years. Costs around $150.

 

[QUOTE="Anthony Brew, post: 564827, member: 9024"
It looks a lot to me like a sales pitch. Why is the person I am already paying to manage my property appearing to 'sell' me this service by saying it is tax deductible?
.[/QUOTE]

Reminds me of receiving (on more than one occasion) correspondence saying that "the REIV and MFB have identified that it is the landlord's responsibility to maintain smoke alarms" before offering an annual inspection service saying that if we didn't accept it they could no longer manage our property. Naturally I challenged it and 5 years later they still manage the property sans the 'professional' inspection service.

In your case though I would do my own research to see if there s in fact an issue with these heaters.

Tools

 

Dear Anthony,
contact your ensurer and ask them if they require you to 'buy into ' this.
If they say yes, then go ahead..
Also check legislation in the house's state.
If they say its a legislation requirement then go ahead.
If not ...

you know the answer..
I hope this helps

 

It is suggested that gas heaters are serviced every two years to ensure they’re operating correctly and not emitting CO.

It is not a requirement under the RTA to specifically have these tested, but rather a requirement of the RTA to ensure the property is maintained in a reasonable condition.

If you have a gas heater in the property, get it serviced. It’s a known risk they can leak CO which can be deadly, do you have to go with the company they’ve mentioned? No. Do you actually have to do it? No, but it’s strongly recommended. I’ve had three this year alone that have been leaking CO.

 

Yeah there's a thread on here about the smoke alarms with a lot of people giving arguments for both sides, so I understand that issue a bit more on that.
But on top of all the many regular expenses, I'd like to avoid anything that could turn out to be just the sake of an agent getting commission. As @Handyandy pointed out from the wording, it appears it's not required unless it is one of those two brands, so I've asked again for the PM to find out if it is one of those and if not I won't bother.

Appreciate all the responses - thanks all.

 

There is plenty of information on the internet regarding what can happen in poorly ventilated rooms or poorly serviced gas heaters in an enclosed space , one of the reasons that gas heaters are prohibited in bedrooms in most states.
A good indicator is getting really sleepy as the brain is slowly starved of oxygen .
But definitely a good idea to do your own research first .........not.
For many gas heaters that were installed many years ago ,they can lack proper ventilation and do not meet todays standards, especially since they generally are used in winter and the house or apartment is all closed up.

 

Dammit. You had to come in with your experienced viewpoint which I can't ignore and cost me a bunch of money =/
By the way it's CO not CO2. If CO2 was a problem we'd all be dead
Thanks @Lil Skater for the response. Appreciate it.

 

The way I read the correspondence the PM sent you, you are required to service any gas heater every two years which seems entirely reasonable given wood heaters should be done yearly.

 

I don't go through the agent, I use an independent gas heating company.

 

I'm not a fan of these revenue chasing little add on services either. It is great when the first advantage is a "tax deduction".

But old/marginal/unflued gas heaters don't make me comfortable at all. Not in my home nor in a rental property where the dangers are not always fully appreciated by the occupants.Maybe a more modern wall furnace might be ok but why bother when there are other options.

I'd be thinking about installing a split system. More attractive to tenants and can cool. ROI not too bad with depreciation, no inspection costs and maybe a little more rent.

 

Sorry and you’re welcome!

Also realised the CO2 thing after the fact, my brain has certainly switched off for the night

 

Received this last week from PM.

My response to the PM was going to be - could you please make contact with the tenants / visit my IPs and check the make and model of the heaters. I googled the issue after receiving the notice and it was in the media almost 2 weeks earlier. Haven't received any notices from other PM agencies.

 

I would ring the PM and arrange to get the gas heater serviced if it's due (regardless of model). Or look at a split cycle system (though these do occasionally need maintenance too - rarely if installed correctly and filters cleaned regularly).

 

I am not concerned. We don't have those heaters. I was bemused by the PM sending out this generic letter and washing their hands of it. I hope they also emailed or messaged all tenants that if they have this heater they should stop using it and contact them asap.
I have no direct contact with my tenants - it is why I employ a PM. If we had those heaters the PM would need to contact our tenants and advise.

 

So you asked for advice but you do not need advice?

 

No, I was the one who asked for advice.

 

What do you expect them to do regarding getting gas heaters regularly serviced , just pay for someone to service the gas heater and then forward the bill on to the owners, and if you had those type of heaters would it not be in your interest to just get it serviced, rather than waste time debating about it and flicking emails forwards and backwards arguing about who should be organising the job and then arguing that you could have found someone cheaper to do the job.