Most residential tenant's that live in modern high rise apartments, usually built after 2001, have Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery systems (MVHR).
What is a Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery system?
Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) is a whole house ventilation system that both supplies and extracts air throughout a property.
It is also known as Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV). The system operates between two air sources at different temperatures, and is used to reduce the heating and cooling demands of buildings.
MVHR delivers fresh filtered air into a building without creating uncomfortable drafts, and without creating excessive demand on heating and cooling systems.
Most tenant's and landlord's, are unaware that these systems require annual servicing and maintenance. The lack of servicing these units, poses a fire hazard within the block and some flats within these buildings have reported blown units, due to a lack of servicing.
In an ideal world, the servicing/maintenance of these MVHR systems should also be statutory and mandatory, just as the Landlord's Gas Safety Certificate and the EICR is.
In light of what happened in the Grenfell Tower fire disaster in 2017, the external cladding of the block is not the only concern that tenant's have to contend with today.
It is for this reason, I'm proposing for Tenant's Licensing, in order that the tenant's who reside at the property 7 days per week, are fully aware of the duties and responsibilities that is implemented within their ast agreement, during their tenure.
Direct Unvented cylinders, which can also pose a fire hazard are not listed on the ast agreement, but a tenant/s can always request to have this added within the clause.
"Direct unvented hot water cylinders" can also be commonly found in some residential modern apartment buildings. Direct unvented simply means - that the pressurised cylinder is fed directly from the mains water supply. If the cylinder is a sealed unit, this also refers to a pressurised cylinder.
Again, most of us are unaware of the potential dangers these cylinders can pose, if not fitted by a registered and certified engineer. For example, before and after all installations or replacements, the engineer will have to notify building control at the local council, once the cylinder has been fitted/installed.
If your unvented cylinder hasn't been maintained/serviced annually, and starts to display faults, one of the main concerns is that when its heated, the water expands, as the cylinder operates under extreme pressures, this can create a risk of an explosion!
Treat all Direct Unvented Cylinders and MVHR systems in the same way as a gas boiler. They require servicing and maintenance annually, with the engineers service record book signed and dated.
This is one of many reasons, why I am proposing for Tenant's Licensing, in order that tenant's can also be aware of the landlord's obligations, especially if that particular landlord is negligent towards you as tenant!