A tenant smells gas: what to tell them, and what happens next

A gas smell is the one maintenance call where the property manager is not the first call. The gas utility and 911 are. Your job is to make sure every tenant knows that before it happens, and to know what you do once the tenant is safe. This post is general information, not legal advice. Check your state and local rules and your gas utility’s instructions.

Why the order matters

Natural gas is odorless, so utilities add a chemical called mercaptan that smells like rotten eggs. A spark from a light switch, a doorbell, a garage door opener or a phone can ignite gas that has built up indoors. That is why gas utilities and the federal pipeline safety agency put leaving first and calling second. The American Gas Association’s list goes further than most people expect: don’t use a flashlight, don’t use a phone near the leak, and find a phone away from the area to call 911 or the utility.

Some people can’t smell the odorant at all, because of a cold, a reduced sense of smell or other odors in the home. A hissing or roaring sound near a gas line or appliance is also a reason to leave. Outdoors, the federal pipeline safety agency lists more signs: dead or discolored plants over a pipeline, dirt or dust blowing from a hole in the ground and bubbles in standing water.

The script for whoever answers

1. Ask: do you smell gas right now, inside the home?
2. If yes, tell them to leave now with everyone in the home, and not to touch switches or appliances on the way out.
3. Tell them to call 911 and the gas utility once they are a safe distance away.
4. Ask them to text or call you back once they are out and the utility is on the way.
5. Write down the time of each step.

Don’t ask a tenant to find the gas meter, turn a valve or check the stove first. The utility and the fire department handle the leak. Turning gas back on is also theirs to do, or a licensed professional’s, after an inspection.

What tenants say, and what to answer

The after-hours call script puts these lines in order for whoever has the night phone, with the 911 and gas questions before anything else.

A gas smell and a CO alarm are different calls

Gas has an added smell. Carbon monoxide has none. It comes from fuel that isn’t burning properly, such as a furnace, water heater, stove or generator, and the only reliable warning is a CO alarm. The CDC counts more than 400 deaths a year in the United States from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning not linked to fires, more than 100,000 emergency room visits and more than 14,000 hospital stays. Early symptoms are often described as flu-like: headache, dizziness, weakness, an upset stomach and confusion.

Both calls start the same way: everyone outside, then 911 or the utility from outside. The follow-up is different. After a CO alarm, the appliance that caused it needs a licensed technician before anyone uses it again. Our post on smoke and CO alarms covers where alarms go and how to test them.

What the manager does next

• Reach the tenant once they are outside, and check everyone is accounted for
• Tell neighbors in shared buildings if the utility or fire department asks you to
• Meet the utility or fire department, or send someone with keys if they need access
• Once the utility finds the source, book a licensed plumber or HVAC technician for the repair
• Get the relight and any appliance checks done before the tenant cooks or runs hot water again
• Record the whole timeline on the work order, including the utility’s findings

If the gas stays off overnight, the unit may have no heat or hot water. In cold weather, that is its own emergency under most written policies. Decide in advance who arranges space heaters, or a hotel night, and who approves the cost. The owner approval limits template has an emergency clause for this.

Prevention you can schedule

• Put a CO alarm on every level and outside sleeping areas in any unit with a gas appliance, attached garage or fireplace, as CPSC recommends
• Service gas furnaces, boilers and water heaters on the manufacturer’s schedule, and keep the records on the property
• Check that vents and flues are clear at every turnover and after storms
• Before any vendor digs, for a fence, a tree or a drain line, make sure they call 811 first. AGA advises calling a few business days ahead and waiting up to 3 working days for lines to be marked; the required notice varies by state
• Tell tenants never to run a generator, grill or camp stove indoors or in a garage

The preventive maintenance checklist puts the furnace and water heater visits on a calendar.

Put it in writing before it happens

Give every tenant the gas instructions at move-in, with the gas utility’s emergency number for that property. Put the same lines at the top of your emergency definitions and your after-hours policy. Then the answer is the same whoever picks up.

Where Now Ours fits

A gas smell starts with 911 or the gas utility, because now ours is not an emergency service. Ours answers tenant calls and texts at any hour and asks the safety questions you set. You decide what counts as an emergency, and an emergency calls and texts your on-call person, then your backup.