Keeping your gas appliances checked regularly and making sure they are safe and in full working order is essential for you and your family’s safety. In the UK, if you are a landlord letting out your property, it is a legal requirement that you should obtain a gas safe certificate for your gas appliances annually.
You may risk a hefty fine if you fail to do so, this is to ensure the gas appliances in the rental property is safe and are working properly for the tenant to use.
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What Is A Gas Safety Certificate?
A landlord’s gas safety certificate is known as the landlord’s gas safety record and is sometimes referred to as CP12. A landlord’s gas safety certificate is required by law to be held for all rental properties within the United Kingdom.
The law requires all gas appliances in the rental accommodation to be checked annually by a professional Gas Safe registered engineer, with a gas safety record being completed and a copy being provided to the tenants who live at the rental property.
Who needs a Gas Safety Certificate?
If you are a landlord –
Yes, you are responsible to ensure your rental property is safe for tenants to live in. It’s a legal requirement that you should have a gas safety check every 12 months by a gas safe engineer.
A copy of this certificate should be given to your tenants to keep so that they know all gas appliances including the gas boiler are in line with the safety guidelines as well as in fully working condition.
If you are a homeowner –
No, you’re not legally bound to have a gas safety check or obtain a gas safety certificate for your home regularly. However, it is a good idea to have an annual inspection of your gas appliances or have a gas boiler service to ensure they are healthy and working properly.
A working carbon monoxide detector is important to keep you and everyone in the house safe, so make sure to check it often so that you know it is working fine. If you have a gas safety check by a gas safe registered engineer, ask him for the documents that prove you have had a gas safety check and all required inspections are completed.
If you are a tenant –
Yes, your landlord is required by law to provide you with a copy of the gas safety certificate either on paper or online. If you have not received your certificate within 28 days of the inspection, you must contact your landlord or the letting agent and ask them to send you one.
If you bring your own gas appliances to the rental property – such as a gas cooker or a gas oven, you will have to get them to be checked out by yourself as the landlord has no legal responsibility for your own gas appliances. However, the landlord is still accountable for all the pipework that supplies the appliances with gas.
What Is Completed In The Gas Safety Check?
Now you know why you need the gas safety check and who needs one, let’s move on to explain what is involved in the gas safety check.
You should always have a gas safe engineer to carry out the inspection for your gas appliances, using a non-qualified gas safe registered engineer will get you in trouble and put you and your family at risk if the inspection is not being done properly.
A qualified gas safe engineer will carry out the check on boilers, ovens, pipework, flues, chimneys (if you have one), and other fixtures and fittings that burn or use gas.
The safety checklist includes:
• Appliances are working at the correct pressure
• Appliances are burning the gas properly
• There’s adequate air supply to appliances
• Flues and chimneys are clear so gases and fumes can be safely discharged
• Safety devices on appliances are working as they should
What Does A Gas Safety Certificate Show?
Once the inspection has been carried out, and the certificate is issued, it will contain the following information:
• Name, ID number, and signature of the Gas Safe registered engineer
• Date of gas safety inspection
• Name and address of the landlord or letting agent (if it’s a managed property)
• Address of the property
• Location and info about each of the gas appliances and flues
• Any problems and the follow-up action required to resolve them
• confirmation from the engineer that the check was completed properly, in compliance with legislation
• Date of the next scheduled gas safety check (usually 12 months from the date of issue)
How To Obtain A Gas Safety Certificate?
It’s very simple to obtain a gas safety certificate, you just need to request a safety check from a gas safe engineer, remember, the inspection must be done by a gas safe registered engineer who will have a gas safe register membership number, otherwise the certificate will not be legal. You can visit the Gas Safe Register website for more info by clicking here.
How Often Do You Need A Gas Safety Certificate?
The gas safety certificate lasts for 12 months and your landlord is required to get a new one every year, so make sure you know when the certificate is due for renewal.
You should also keep your certificate for at least two years, don’t bin it even if it is out of date as you may need it to prove the gas safety check is done every year. Most companies now keep the safety record online, but you can also ask for a paper copy for your own records.
How much Does It Cost To Have A Gas Safety Certificate?
The cost for a gas safety certificate can be vary depending on the location you live, what company you use, and how many gas appliances you have. In general, a gas safety certificate can cost anything between £45 to around £90.
You will get a cheaper price if you use a local gas engineer instead of a nationwide gas company, so shop around and get a few quotes and make sure you know what is included in the cost.
