Reviewed: 7 September 2026 | Applies to: landlords and letting agents in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). This guide is not about Northern Ireland law. The legal duties below are based on the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and HSE guidance. They are practical compliance information, not legal or engineering advice.
For landlords, the core task is not simply to obtain a document once a year. Where the duties apply, gas appliances, fittings and flues provided for tenants must be maintained safely; each relevant appliance and flue must receive an annual safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer; and the resulting record must be kept and given to tenants at the required time.
What a landlord must arrange in Great Britain
HSE says that landlords are responsible for the safety of gas appliances, fittings and flues they provide for a tenant’s use. This includes appliances and flues in communal areas that tenants may use. The landlord must arrange maintenance and repair by a Gas Safe registered engineer and make sure a safety check is carried out every 12 months for each relevant gas appliance and flue.
Do not assume every gas-related item has the same ownership position. A tenant’s own appliance, which the landlord did not provide, is treated differently from landlord-provided equipment, although the landlord can still have responsibility for associated installation or pipework. A communal boiler or appliance serving several homes can also require coordinated arrangements with the building owner. Record the equipment provided at the property and ask the engineer to confirm the relevant scope.
Before a new tenant moves in, give them a current gas safety check record. For an existing tenant, provide a copy within 28 days of the check. Keep the record for at least two years. HSE calls this a Landlord gas safety record; older terminology such as “gas safety certificate” or “CP12” is commonly used, but the legal value is in the check, the required record and the underlying safety work – not a label alone.
Annual safety check and servicing are not the same thing
The annual gas safety check is a statutory requirement where the Regulations apply. Servicing and maintenance are separate safety responsibilities. HSE is clear that a landlord should not assume an annual service includes all the points required by a safety check, or that an annual safety check alone provides effective maintenance. There is no invented one-size-fits-all service interval in this guide: follow the appliance manufacturer’s instructions and the advice of a competent Gas Safe registered engineer.
The useful operational distinction is simple. Put the annual safety-check due date in a compliance diary, but also keep maintenance, repair, engineer reports and any remedial action in the property file. A passed annual check is not a reason to ignore a developing fault, manufacturer advice or an engineer’s recommendation.
Choosing the engineer and preparing the visit
Use a Gas Safe registered engineer for gas work, maintenance and safety checks on landlord-provided domestic gas equipment. HSE advises landlords to check that the engineer is competent for the specific area of gas work required; this is shown on the engineer’s Gas Safe Register card. Do not give a tenant or agent an instruction to carry out gas work themselves.
- List the landlord-provided gas appliances, flues and any shared equipment before booking.
- Check the property address, landlord or agent details and equipment list are accurately reflected in the completed record.
- Keep the engineer’s report and the record together with invoices, defect notices and follow-up evidence.
- Where an agent arranges the work, set out clearly in the management agreement who books, receives, checks and stores the record. Delegating tasks does not remove the need to make sure the duty is met.
What the gas safety record should show
HSE sets minimum content for the record, including the description and location of each appliance or flue checked, the engineer’s name, registration number and signature, the date and property address, the landlord or agent’s name and address, any safety-related defect and remedial action, and confirmation of the prescribed check matters. One record will usually cover all the checked items.
A secure electronic record can be used if it can be reproduced in hard copy when required and identifies the engineer. An electronic copy can be supplied to a tenant if the tenant agrees and can access it; provide paper if they ask for it. The full HSE record-keeping guidance is the right place to check the current detail rather than relying on an old template.
If the tenant will not provide access
Build reasonable access arrangements into the tenancy and start early enough to leave time for missed appointments. HSE says a landlord must not use force to enter for a gas safety check. Instead, keep a dated record of every attempt and use a proportionate approach to the circumstances.
HSE recommends leaving a notice after an unsuccessful attempt, writing to explain that the check is a legal requirement and for the tenant’s safety, and giving the tenant a chance to arrange an appointment. Its inspectors will look for at least three attempts, but the question of whether steps were reasonable depends on the individual circumstances and is ultimately for a court. Keep correspondence, appointment confirmations, contractor attendance notes and any tenant response. If access remains unresolved, take specific legal advice rather than entering by force.
Defects, unsafe appliances and a suspected gas leak
If a safety check identifies a defect, take prompt action. HSE says the record should be issued once the checks are complete and should not be delayed merely because follow-up work is still needed. Keep the follow-up evidence with the record. Where an appliance is suspected to be unsafe, it should not be used until the defect has been remedied by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Suspected gas leak: follow HSE’s emergency direction – call the National Grid Gas Emergency number on 0800 111 999, open doors and windows, and shut off the supply at the meter control valve only if you know where it is. Do not attempt a repair. For any suspected unsafe appliance, turn it off and leave it untouched until it has been checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer. This is emergency context, not a substitute for the current official advice or emergency services.
Landlord gas-safety checklist
- Map the scope: identify landlord-provided gas appliances, flues, pipework and any shared equipment; clarify ownership where equipment is tenant-owned or communal.
- Book early: arrange the annual safety check for every relevant appliance and flue with an appropriately competent Gas Safe registered engineer.
- Separate the workstreams: record the annual check date and deal with servicing, maintenance and repairs as separate ongoing safety work.
- Check the record: confirm the property, equipment, engineer and any defect/remedial details are complete.
- Provide it: give a new tenant the current record before occupation, and an existing tenant their copy within 28 days of the completed check.
- Retain evidence: keep the record for at least two years, together with access attempts, engineer reports and remedial-action evidence.
- Act on defects: do not allow a suspected unsafe appliance to be used; arrange competent remedial work and preserve the follow-up record.
How this guide fits with other landlord tasks
This is a narrow gas-safety compliance guide. It does not replace the broader appliance, utility and maintenance questions in Landlord Knowledge’s Appliances & Utilities FAQs, or the wider duties discussed in the landlord repair responsibilities guide and landlord regulation guide. These are contextual links inside an unpublished draft only; no published page has been altered to link here.
Official sources and review note
Before acting, check the current HSE landlord and letting-agent guidance, HSE’s guidance on who needs annual checks, and the current text of Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Northern Ireland is outside this Great Britain guide; its landlord should obtain Northern Ireland-specific official advice before relying on any gas-safety process described here.
