Landlord gas safety record
Checked against its sources: Updated
A landlord gas safety certificate, legally a gas safety record, shows each gas appliance and flue was checked within the last 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer.12 Tenants get a copy within 28 days.1
- Covers
- England, Wales and Scotland under the 1998 regulations; Northern Ireland noted separately
- You
- Tenants: read the copy and report problems. Landlords: book the check on time, give copies and keep records.
- A professional
- The check itself, and any work on appliances or flues: an approved-class member, in practice a Gas Safe registered engineer.1
1 What the regulations require
| Duty | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Check | Each appliance and flue within 12 months of installation and at intervals of not more than 12 months | Reg 36(3)(a)1 |
| New lease | Checked within 12 months before it starts | Reg 36(3)(b)1 |
| Records | Keep until there have been two further checks, or 2 years from the last check if the appliance or flue is removed | Reg 36(3)(c)1 |
| Existing tenants | Copy within 28 days of the check | Reg 36(6)1 |
| New tenants | Copy before they occupy; lets of 28 days or less may display it | Reg 36(6)1 |
| Who does it | Member of an approved class | Reg 36(4)1 |
HSE's own shorthand for keeping records is "2 years"; the regulation's wording above is the one to rely on in Great Britain.12 Electronic records are allowed if they can be reproduced in hard copy, are secure and identify the operative.2
2 The 10 to 12 month rule
Since 6 April 2018, a check done in the 2 months ending with the deadline counts as done on the deadline date, so the date doesn't creep earlier.3 A late check is far narrower: it is allowed within the 2 months after the deadline only once per appliance or flue, and only to line its deadline up with another appliance or flue in the same premises.3 It isn't a general grace period.
3 Service and safety check are different
HSE says the annual service and the annual safety check are not the same thing.2 For an owner-occupier, yearly servicing is strong advice; for a landlord, the safety check is law. See boiler service. Check the engineer on the Gas Safe Register.
4 Carbon monoxide alarms
Landlords also have alarm duties, which differ by country. See carbon monoxide and CO alarms.
5 Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man
Northern Ireland's 2004 regulations, as made, say keep records for two years, with the same 28-day rule, and nidirect agrees.45 No Northern Ireland equivalent of the 10 to 12 month rule was seen in that text, and later amendments weren't checked. Isle of Man landlord rules weren't researched for this entry.
Sources
- Regulation 36: duties of landlords, 1998 regulations read 3 November 2026.
- Landlord questions in HSE's gas FAQ, 2023 update read 3 November 2026.
- Regulation 36A, timing of safety checks, 1998 Regulations read 3 November 2026.
- Regulation 36 as made, Northern Ireland 2004 regulations read 3 November 2026.
- Domestic gas installation and health and safety, nidirect read 3 November 2026.