A Guide to Landlords Safety Certificates

We do around 150 Gas inspections for landlords each year and Many Landlords are often confused what the checks do or do not include. Legally a landlord should have a property checked every 12 months.

What is included in the Gas Safety check?

A visual inspection is carried out on the Gas appliances, Meters, Boilers, Hobs, Cookers, Heaters, and fires. Included in the visual check are the condition of the appliance, the flues (both inside and out of the property) and the pipework. Ventilation is checked where needed (Older boilers and Gas fires mainly)

Common faults on visual inspections are; incorrect pipework size, damaged or corroded pipework and flues , improper fittings used on both pipes and flues, inaccessible safety shut off valves, Condense pipes not discarding properly and Gas meters not labelled correctly

Checks Inside the appliances; Case and combustion seals, Burner pressure, inlet pressure, gas rate. The safety devices on the appliances will also have to be checked in accordance with Gas regulations and the Manufacturers Instructions

Common faults on internal appliance checks;  Burner seals perished or cracked, boiler casings rusted, flues not connected and seals perished, Gas pipework not sized properly leading to appliance being under gassed.

Gas Meter checks, An engineer should check that the meter is accessible in case of an emergency, the safety shut off valve should be working and fall to the right position, the meter should be labelled giving the phone number of the gas emergency line ( 0800 111 999) Pipework should be correctly clipped, sealed and sleeved . A tightness test should also be carried out to ensure there are no leaks on the gas pipework through the property


Does the Safety check include a service?

A gas safety check is concerned with the safe operation of the appliance and does not include servicing, generally engineers will include a service for a small extra fee. The service will just mean that the appliance is cleaned as well as checked. It Is always recommended that boilers and fires are serviced as this will prevent some costly breakdowns arising.


What paperwork should i receive after a safety check?

You should receive a Landlords Gas Safety certificate which will be either a paper copy or an emailed digital record. The Landlord has a copy as does both the tenant and the engineer. On the certificate the engineers details will be recorded along with their Gas Safe registration number. A list of any faults and any remedial action that has taken place will also be recorded.

What happens if Appliances are not maintained or checked?

If landlords do not have their properties inspected for gas safety they risk being prosecuted, this could result in imprisonment or a fine of up to £20,000 . More importantly failure to keep safe gas appliances can result in loss of life.


As with all our blogs, if you need further advice on this or any other gas related issue please contact us.