Annual Gas Saftey Checks for Landlords

Badly fitted and poorly serviced gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions, and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. CO is a highly poisonous gas that can kill quickly with no warning, as you cannot see it, taste it, or smell it.

Landlords are legally responsible for the safety of their tenants. Landlords must ensure a Gas Safe registered engineer carries out maintenance and annual safety checks on gas appliances to ensure their tenants and wider communities stay safe.

If you’re a landlord, you are legally obliged to make sure:

• Gas pipework, appliances and flues provided for tenants are maintained safely.
• All gas appliances and flues provided for tenants’ use have an annual safety check. Your tenants can report you to the HSE if you don’t provide one, so it’s important to remember! You can set a free email and/or text reminder so you don’t forget to visit StayGasSafe.co.uk.
• A Gas Safety Record is provided to the tenant within 28 days of completing the check or to any new tenant before they move in.
• You keep a copy of the Gas Safety Record until two further checks have taken place.
• A qualified Gas Safe registered engineer carries out maintenance and annual safety checks.
• All gas equipment (including any appliance left by a previous tenant) is safe or removed before re-letting.

Before any gas work is carried out, always check that the engineer is qualified to do the work that needs doing, e.g., natural gas, domestic boiler. You can find this information on the Gas Safe Register website or by checking the back of the engineer’s Gas Safe ID card. Encourage your tenants to check the card when the engineer arrives at the property and be aware of any warning signs that their gas appliances are working incorrectly. Signs that appliances aren't working correctly include dark or sooty staining, excess condensation, pilot lights that frequently blow out, and error messages on the appliance’s control panel.