Gas safety certificate

Annual proof that a rented property's gas appliances have been checked and are safe — a legal requirement, not an optional extra.

How often must a gas safety check be carried out?

At least once every 12 months for each gas appliance, fitting and flue in the property, carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

What should I do if my landlord has never provided a certificate?

Ask in writing, keep a record of the request, and if there is no response, report the failure to the Health and Safety Executive, which enforces the regulations.

Does a gas safety certificate cover electrical appliances too?

No. It covers gas appliances, fittings and flues only. Electrical safety is covered separately by an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), which is a distinct legal requirement.

Who has to pay for the gas safety check?

The landlord. It is their legal duty to arrange and pay for the annual check, not the tenant's.

Can I refuse the landlord access for the annual check?

The tenancy agreement will usually require reasonable access for safety inspections, and refusing access can itself cause problems, since the landlord needs it to comply with their own legal duty. Reasonable notice should be given by the landlord.

Gas safety certificate

Renters' Rights · Glossary

Gas safety certificate

Annual proof that a rented property's gas appliances have been checked and are safe — a legal requirement, not an optional extra.

Last reviewed: August 2026

Renters' Rights track

gas safety certificate

(formally a Landlord Gas Safety Record) is a document confirming that every gas appliance, fitting and flue in a rented property has been checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer within the last 12 months and found safe to use.

Where this comes from

Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998

— the regulations placing a legal duty on landlords to maintain gas appliances and carry out annual safety checks.

Gas safety — landlords and letting agents

— Health and Safety Executive guidance on landlords' duties.

What the law requires

Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, a landlord who rents out a property with gas appliances must have each one checked for safety within 12 months of installation, and then at intervals of no more than 12 months after that. The check must be carried out by an engineer registered with Gas Safe, the body that replaced CORGI as the official gas registration scheme.

The landlord must give a copy of the current certificate to existing tenants within 28 days of the check, and to new tenants before they move in, or as soon as reasonably practicable afterwards for a tenant moving in at very short notice. Records of past checks must generally be kept for at least two years.

What happens if a landlord does not comply

• A tenant who has not received a current certificate should ask the landlord or agent for a copy in writing, keeping a record of the request.
• Report to the Health and Safety Executive.
• The HSE enforces the regulations and can investigate a landlord who fails to carry out checks or provide certificates — this is a criminal, not just a civil, matter.
• Raise it as part of a wider complaint.
• A missing gas safety certificate can support a wider complaint about the property's condition, and in serious cases forms part of the evidence a local authority or tribunal considers.
• Consider the impact on possession proceedings.
• In some circumstances, failing to provide required safety documentation, including a gas safety certificate, at the right time can affect a landlord's ability to rely on certain grounds for possession.

How it works in practice

A tenant moves into a rented flat with a gas boiler and hob but is never given a copy of a gas safety certificate. Eighteen months later, they ask their landlord for one and are told none has ever been carried out.

This is a breach of the landlord's legal duty under the 1998 Regulations, independent of whether anything has actually gone wrong with the gas appliances. The tenant can report the failure to the Health and Safety Executive, and can also ask the landlord to arrange an inspection immediately, given the appliances have gone unchecked for the entire tenancy.

• Assuming no certificate means no problem, as long as the boiler works.
• The legal duty exists regardless of whether an appliance appears to be functioning normally — faults are not always obvious to a non-expert.
• Not keeping a copy of certificates provided.
• Tenants should keep their own copy of each certificate received, in case a dispute arises later about whether one was actually issued on time.
• Confusing a gas safety certificate with other property checks.
• An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and an electrical safety report (EICR) are separate legal requirements covering different things — having one does not mean the others are in place.
• Assuming the tenant is responsible for arranging the check.
• The legal duty to arrange and pay for the annual gas safety check sits with the landlord, not the tenant.

How local authorities assess serious hazards, including gas safety, in a rented property.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & further reading

• Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998
• (legislation.gov.uk)
• Gas safety — landlords and letting agents
• Your landlord's safety responsibilities

Landlord not keeping up with safety checks?

Start My Claim helps you document safety failures and understand what steps are available to you.

Last reviewed: August 2026.

References checked against the sources above as in force on 10 August 2026.

This page is explanatory only and is not legal advice. Start My Claim is self-service software, not a law firm — its tools help you build and run your own case.