The annual check
If you let a home in England, Scotland or Wales, every gas appliance and flue you provide must be safety checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Between checks, the appliances, flues and pipework must be kept in a safe condition.
You can have the check done up to two months before it is due and keep the original anniversary date, so booking early does not cost you time. Keep the earlier records so you can show the dates line up.
Appliances the tenant owns are generally their own responsibility, though the gas pipework you provide is still yours. If a letting agent manages the property, make sure it is clear in writing who is arranging the check.
The Landlord Gas Safety Record
After each check, the engineer gives you a Landlord Gas Safety Record, often still called a CP12. It lists the appliances checked, what was found and any defects. Then:
- Give a copy to existing tenants within 28 days of the check
- Give a copy to new tenants before they move in
- Keep each record for at least two years
- Deal with any defects the engineer records. An appliance found to be dangerous will be turned off or disconnected, and must not be used until it is repaired
When a tenant will not let you in
You must take all reasonable steps to get access, and be able to show that you did. Give written notice, offer other times, and keep a record of every letter, email, call and missed appointment.
If access keeps failing, keep trying and keep the paper trail. Those records are what show you met your duty.
Carbon monoxide alarms
In England, landlords must fit a carbon monoxide alarm in every room used as living accommodation that has a fixed combustion appliance, such as a boiler, gas fire or wood burner. Gas cookers are excluded. Alarms must be repaired or replaced once you are told they are faulty, and checked to be working on the day a new tenancy starts.
Scotland and Wales have their own carbon monoxide alarm rules, which differ in the detail. Check the current guidance for the nation the property is in.
If a tenant smells gas or an alarm sounds
Make sure tenants know what to do, ideally in writing at the start of the tenancy:
- Smell of gas: do not use light switches, sockets or anything electrical, and do not smoke or light anything. Open doors and windows, turn the gas off at the meter if it is safe to, leave the property and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999
- Carbon monoxide alarm sounding: open doors and windows, turn off gas appliances if it is safe to, get out into fresh air and call 0800 111 999
- Anyone feeling unwell, with headaches, dizziness, nausea or breathlessness: get them into fresh air and call 999
- Nobody should use the appliance again until a Gas Safe registered engineer has checked it
A safety check is not a service
A gas safety check confirms the appliances are safe to use on the day. It covers things like gas tightness, flue performance, ventilation and safety devices. A service is the manufacturer’s maintenance routine: cleaning and checking parts so the boiler keeps running and stays within its warranty terms.
The law requires the safety check. Doing both every year, ideally on the same visit, is good practice, and can save a breakdown in the middle of winter.