Students who choose their term time accommodation based on its distance from the nearest shopping centre or night club are being urged by CORGI to take more care over their selection.

If you are a student living away from home then you could be in one of the most vulnerable groups of people at risk from carbon monoxide poisoning. The potentially lethal gas can escape through appliances like boilers or gas fires that have not been properly installed or serviced and because you cannot smell it you will not know it is there – hence the name ‘silent killer’.

Landlords must make sure that all gas appliances in their rented properties are safety checked on a regular basis but as the tenant you should never make assumptions where something so vital is concerned. The advice according to CORGI is to ask the landlord for an up-to-date gas safety record and a carbon monoxide alarm and if possible to check that the flame on gas appliances is blue and stable. If the landlord does not agree to provide a carbon monoxide alarm then you should purchase one yourself from a DIY store and carefully follow CORGI’s instructions on fitting it, or alternatively ask a CORGI registered heating engineer to install one for you.

Being aware of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning is crucial. Do not ignore things like nausea, lethargy, headaches and dizziness, even if you think it could just be a cold, flu or over-indulgence the night before. Also, be on your guard when excessive condensation appears in a room, black or yellow stains are apparent on gas appliances or pilot lights blow out frequently as all these things could indicate the presence of carbon monoxide. If you notice anything out of the ordinary concerning your gas appliances then you should immediately arrange for a CORGI registered engineer to call, whether it is through the landlord or directly.

Carbon monoxide is the silent killer; as a student you should be far from silent if you are in any doubt whatsoever about gas safety in your term time rented accommodation.