Gas safety certificates: the landlord's rules
If a rented property has gas appliances, flues or fittings, the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 apply, and they are among the strictest duties a landlord carries.
The core duties
- Annual check: every gas appliance and flue checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
- The record: the engineer issues a gas safety record, commonly called a CP12. Keep each record for at least two years.
- Serving it: give the current record to existing tenants within 28 days of the check, and to new tenants before they move in.
- Maintenance: appliances and pipework kept in safe condition between checks, with repairs by registered engineers only.
Practical points that catch landlords out
The check is on the property's appliances, not the tenant's own cooker, though the pipework serving it is yours. Booking early preserves your renewal date: a check done in the two months before expiry keeps the original anniversary. And access problems do not suspend the duty: document every attempt to arrange entry, because a paper trail of reasonable efforts is what the HSE and courts look for.
Why it matters beyond safety
Breaches carry criminal liability and unlimited fines in serious cases, and the gas record sits inside the wider document set the Renters' Rights Act expects tenants to receive. It appears in our compliance checklist alongside the EICR and the How to Rent guide.
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Start my agreement →Frequently asked questions
How often does a landlord gas safety check need doing?
Every 12 months, by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with the record given to tenants within 28 days and to new tenants before occupation.
What if the property has no gas?
No gas, no certificate: the regulations only apply where there are gas appliances, fittings or flues. Electrical duties still apply in full.