Gas safety checks and certificates

What is a gas safety certificate?

A gas safety certificate is the record a Gas Safe registered engineer gives you after checking the gas appliances, fittings and flues in a property. Its proper name is a landlord gas safety record (LGSR), and most people still call it a CP12 certificate. They are the same document.

For landlords it is a legal requirement under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, enforced by the Health and Safety Executive. For homeowners it is optional, but it is the clearest way to know your gas installation is safe.

What the gas safety inspection covers

The gas safety inspection looks at every gas appliance in the property and the pipework that feeds them. Our Gas Safe engineer will typically:

• Check each gas appliance, such as the boiler, a gas fire and the gas hob or cooker, is burning correctly and set to the right gas pressure
• Test that flues and chimneys are carrying fumes safely out of the property
• Run a tightness test on the property's gas supply pipework, from the gas meter onwards, to check for leaks
• Check there is enough ventilation for each appliance
• Test the safety devices that shut an appliance down if something goes wrong
• Record the results and any faults on the gas safety record

Gas safety rules for landlords

Every landlord must have each gas appliance and flue they provide checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and keep them in a safe condition between checks. Give a copy of the gas safety record to existing tenants within 28 days of the check and to new tenants before they move in, and keep each record for at least two years.

You can have the annual gas safety check done up to two months before the deadline and keep the original expiry date, so the dates do not creep earlier each year. For holiday lets and stays of under 28 days, display a copy of the record in a prominent place instead of handing one to each guest.

Since 1 October 2022, landlords in England must also fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation that has a fixed combustion appliance, gas cookers excepted. Our landlord gas safety certificate page covers the detail.

Gas safety checks for homeowners and buyers

Homeowners are not legally required to have an annual gas safety check, but it is a sensible annual check if you have older appliances, a gas fire or a boiler that is not serviced every year. A gas safety check covers every appliance, where a boiler service goes deeper on the boiler alone.

Buying a home? There is no legal need for a seller to provide a gas certificate, but a check before you complete tells you whether the boiler, fire and pipework are safe and what they might cost to put right.

How to get a gas safety certificate

To get a gas safety certificate, book a check with a Gas Safe registered engineer and tell them the number of gas appliances in the property. The gas safety certificate cost depends on that number, and we confirm the price before we book.

On the day, make sure the engineer can reach every appliance and the gas meter. Once the checks are done you get the record to keep and share with tenants. If anything fails, the engineer will explain the fault, make a dangerous appliance safe, and quote for the repair so you can get a valid gas safety certificate.

Always check that the engineer is on the Gas Safe Register. Their ID card lists the gas work they are qualified for, and you can confirm it on the Gas Safe Register website.