Landlord gas safety checks: what actually gets inspected

If you let a property with gas in it, you need a gas safety check every twelve months by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and you need to give the tenant a copy of the record. That much most landlords know. What the check actually involves is less widely understood, and the gaps are where problems start.

What the engineer checks

On every gas appliance and every flue in the property:

• That the appliance is correctly set and burning as it should, which means checking the operating pressure and heat input against the data plate
• That the flue and any chimney are clear and taking combustion products outside, with a flue flow and spillage test where relevant
• That there is adequate ventilation for the appliance to burn safely
• That all safety devices work, rather than just that the appliance lights
• The condition of the pipework, and a tightness test on the installation

The engineer records each appliance as pass or fail, and notes anything that is unsafe. An appliance can be capped off there and then if it is dangerous. That is not the engineer being difficult, it is the duty they carry.

What it is not

A safety check is not a service. It confirms the appliance is safe today. A service cleans it, replaces what is worn and keeps it working. The two are usually done together and it is cheaper that way, but one does not include the other, and a certificate does not mean the boiler has been serviced.

It also does not cover the tenant's own appliances, though the pipework and the flue serving them may still be your responsibility.

Where landlords get caught out

The twelve months is from the last check, not from the tenancy. Letting it lapse while a property is empty still breaks the rule if a tenant moves in afterwards.

The record has to reach the tenant within 28 days, and a new tenant needs a copy at the start of the tenancy. Holding it in a file is not enough.

Carbon monoxide alarms are required in any room with a fixed combustion appliance, and they have to be working at the start of the tenancy. This catches people who fitted one years ago and never checked it.

Records must be kept for two years. If something goes wrong, that history is what demonstrates you met the duty.

On carbon monoxide

Worth stating plainly, because it is the reason all of this exists. Carbon monoxide has no taste, no smell and no colour. A tenant will not notice it. The appliance may look and sound completely normal while producing it. That is what the flue and combustion checks are for.

We carry out landlord checks across Okehampton and Devon, including park homes, static caravans and commercial catering, and we can combine the check with a service in one visit. Book one here or see what our gas services cover.