Glossary · Faults, servicing and gas safety
What is a gas safety check?
A gas safety check is an inspection of every gas appliance and flue in a rented property, carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Landlords must arrange one every year. It produces a written record, often called a CP12 or landlord gas safety certificate, that the landlord must keep and give to tenants.
Key points
- Landlords must have each gas appliance and flue checked every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
- Existing tenants must get a copy of the record within 28 days of the check, and new tenants before they move in.
- The landlord must keep the record for at least two years, and until two further checks have been done if the early-check option is used.
- A gas safety check is not the same as a boiler service. HSE says you should not assume a service meets the safety check requirement.
- Landlords cannot pass this duty to a tenant, and a letting agent does not remove the landlord's overall responsibility.
How a gas safety check works
A gas safety check is a legal requirement under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. It applies to landlords, housing associations, local authorities, hotels and B&Bs, colleges, boarding schools and hostels, and it covers any gas appliance or flue they own and provide for people to use.[1]Health and Safety Executive, Gas safety checks - who needs them? A landlord must have each appliance and flue checked every year.[1]Health and Safety Executive, Gas safety checks - who needs them?
The check must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. HSE is direct on this: a former gas fitter cannot do it themselves, and a registered engineer should not sign off gas work done by someone who is not registered.[3]Health and Safety Executive, Gas safety check - who can do it? Our entry on the Gas Safe Register explains how to check an engineer.
When the check is done, the engineer produces a record. If they find a defect, the landlord must take prompt action to put it right. Where an appliance may be dangerous, it should not be used until it has been made safe.[1]Health and Safety Executive, Gas safety checks - who needs them?
What is covered and what you must keep
All permanent and portable gas appliances and flues in the property need an annual check, including a portable LPG heater.[2]Health and Safety Executive, Gas safety checks - what needs them? If a tenant owns an appliance, the tenant is responsible for it, though HSE recommends the landlord includes any connected flue.[2]Health and Safety Executive, Gas safety checks - what needs them?
The record must contain, as a minimum, the following.[4]Health and Safety Executive, Gas safety check records and what to keep
| Item on the record |
|---|
| A description and location of each appliance or flue checked |
| The name, registration number and signature of the engineer |
| The date of the check |
| The address of the property |
| The name and address of the landlord or their agent |
| Any safety-related defect found and any action taken |
The rules on timing and paperwork are these.
| Duty | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Every year for each appliance and flue |
| New lease | Checks done within one year before the lease starts |
| Early check | Allowed from 10 to 12 months after the last one, keeping the original deadline |
| Copy to existing tenants | Within 28 days of the check |
| Copy to new tenants | Before they move in |
| Keeping records | At least two years |
The early-check option means a check done 2 months before the deadline still counts as if it fell on the original date.[5]Health and Safety Executive, Landlords: A guide to landlords' duties (INDG285) HSE says the record then needs to be kept until two further checks have been done.[4]Health and Safety Executive, Gas safety check records and what to keep The 28-day and new-tenant rules are on the same HSE page.[4]Health and Safety Executive, Gas safety check records and what to keep
A check is different from a service. HSE says you should not assume that an annual service inspection meets the safety check requirement, or that a safety check on its own provides effective maintenance.[5]Health and Safety Executive, Landlords: A guide to landlords' duties (INDG285) HSE strongly advises that all gas appliances, flues and pipework in any home are serviced at least annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer.[6]Health and Safety Executive, Domestic gas: frequently asked questions See our boiler service page for what a service involves.
Example
Sandeep owns a two-bedroom flat in Bradford that he rents out. His last gas safety check was on 12 March, so the next one is due by 12 March the following year. He books the engineer at the end of January, which is 10 months after the last check, so he can use the early-check option and keep the March deadline.
After the visit the engineer gives him the record. Sandeep emails the tenant a copy, which HSE allows if the tenant is happy to receive it that way and can open it. He still has to give a paper copy if the tenant asks.[4]Health and Safety Executive, Gas safety check records and what to keep BASI Heating lists a fixed landlord check price on its landlord CP12 page, currently £80.[7]BASI Heating, Landlord gas safety (CP12)
What people get wrong
A common mix-up is to treat a boiler service and a gas safety check as the same visit. They are not. The check is a legal safety inspection of every appliance and flue with a formal record. A service is maintenance of the boiler. Booking only one can leave you without the document you need.
A second mistake is thinking a letting agent takes on the duty. HSE says the landlord keeps overall responsibility, and the management contract should name who arranges checks and keeps records.[5]Health and Safety Executive, Landlords: A guide to landlords' duties (INDG285) A third is passing the job to the tenant. HSE says a landlord cannot transfer this to a tenant who is subletting.[1]Health and Safety Executive, Gas safety checks - who needs them?
The bottom line
A gas safety check is the yearly inspection of every gas appliance and flue in a rented home, done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. It ends with a written record that tenants must receive and the landlord must keep. It is not a boiler service, and the duty stays with the landlord. If you let property in West Yorkshire, book it before the old record expires.
Common questions
How often does a gas safety check have to be done?
Every year for each gas appliance and flue. Before a new lease starts, the checks must have been done within the year before the lease date. A check can be done up to 2 months early without losing the original deadline.
Who is allowed to carry out a gas safety check?
Only a Gas Safe registered engineer who is competent in the type of appliance being checked. HSE says a former gas fitter who is not registered cannot do the check themselves.
Is a boiler service the same as a gas safety check?
No. HSE says you should not assume that an annual service meets the safety check requirement, or that a safety check alone is enough maintenance. Many landlords book both in one visit.
Do owner-occupiers need a gas safety check?
The legal duty falls on landlords. HSE still strongly advises that all gas appliances, flues and pipework are serviced at least annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer, including in your own home.
Sources
We cite the original source for every figure: government, regulators, standards bodies and manufacturers' own documents. Each one shows the date we last checked it.
- Health and Safety Executive. Gas safety checks - who needs them?. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Health and Safety Executive. Gas safety checks - what needs them?. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Health and Safety Executive. Gas safety check - who can do it?. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Health and Safety Executive. Gas safety check records and what to keep. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Health and Safety Executive. Landlords: A guide to landlords' duties (INDG285). Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- Health and Safety Executive. Domestic gas: frequently asked questions. Checked 11 November 2026. ↩
- BASI Heating. Landlord gas safety (CP12). Checked 11 November 2026. ↩