If your rental property has a gas supply, a boiler, a gas hob, a gas fire, or any other gas appliance, you have a legal duty to arrange an annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer and to keep a record of that check. This is not optional and it is not something a tenant can waive on your behalf. This guide explains exactly what the law requires, what the check covers, who can carry it out, how to give the record to tenants, and what the consequences are if you do not comply.
What is the legal requirement?
The duty to carry out annual gas safety checks on rental properties comes from Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. The regulation places two separate and distinct duties on landlords. The first is to maintain all gas fittings and flues in a safe condition at all times. The second is to have each gas appliance and flue checked for safety at intervals of not more than 12 months. These are separate obligations. Maintenance is an ongoing duty, not something you fulfil only at the annual check. (Source: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Regulation 36, HSE guidance)
The check must be carried out by, or by an employee of, a member of a class of persons approved by the Health and Safety Executive. In practice, this means an engineer who is on the Gas Safe Register. No other person is legally permitted to carry out a gas safety check for the purposes of this regulation. (Source: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Regulation 36(4))
What does the check cover?
The annual gas safety check must cover every gas appliance and every flue that serves a gas appliance in the property. This includes the boiler, any gas fire, a gas hob or cooker, any gas water heater, and any gas supply pipe that forms part of the installation.
As a minimum, the engineer must examine the physical condition and safe functioning of each appliance, the installation pipework, ventilation, and any flue for signs of deterioration. They must carry out performance tests and take any necessary remedial action. Where a fault is found that is not remedied at the time of the check, a safety check record must not be issued until all required tests have been completed. If an appliance is suspected to be dangerous, it must not be used until the defect is fixed. (Source: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Regulation 36 and HSE Approved Code of Practice, guidance paragraphs 300 to 303)
There is also a separate restriction that applies regardless of the annual check. A gas fire, gas space heater, or gas water heater of more than 14 kilowatt gross heat input must not be fitted in any room used or intended to be used as sleeping accommodation, unless it is a room-sealed appliance. Landlords must ensure no such appliance is present in a bedroom. (Source: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Regulation 30(2) and Regulation 36(11))
What does the record contain?
After each check, the engineer must produce a written record. The record must include the date of the check, the address of the property, the name and address of the landlord or their agent, a description and location of each appliance and flue checked, any safety defect identified, any remedial action taken, confirmation that the check complies with the requirements of the regulations, and the name, signature, and Gas Safe registration number of the engineer who carried it out. (Source: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Regulation 36(3)(c))
This document is commonly referred to as a Gas Safety Record. It is also sometimes called a CP12, which was originally a form reference used by Corgi before gas registration moved to the Gas Safe Register. The term CP12 remains in common use but is not a statutory term.
You must retain each gas safety record until two further checks of the same appliance or flue have been completed. If an appliance is removed from the property before that point, the record must be kept for two years from the date of the last check. (Source: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Regulation 36(3)(c))
When must the check be done?
For a new tenancy starting after the regulations came into force, each appliance and flue must have been checked for safety within the 12 months before the tenancy starts, or within 12 months of the appliance being installed, whichever is later. After that, the check must be repeated at intervals of not more than 12 months. (Source: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Regulation 36(3)(a) and (b))
There is a flexibility introduced by Regulation 36A, added in April 2018, that allows landlords to have the check carried out in the window from 10 to 12 calendar months after the previous check while retaining the original deadline date. This means that if you book the engineer slightly early each year to fit around availability, you do not lose your original anniversary date. To benefit from this flexibility you must keep sufficient records to demonstrate the timing of consecutive checks, including copies of the two previous gas safety records. If you cannot provide that audit trail, the expiry date will be calculated as 12 months from the date of the most recent check only. (Source: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Regulation 36A and HSE guidance paragraphs 305 to 308)
How and when must you give the record to tenants?
You must give a copy of the gas safety record to each existing tenant within 28 days of the date of the check. For new tenants, you must give them a copy of the most recent record before they occupy the property. You cannot wait until after they move in. (Source: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Regulation 36(6))
Where the tenancy is for a period not exceeding 28 days, you may display a copy prominently within the property instead of handing it directly to the tenant. For all other tenancies, personal delivery of a copy is the requirement.
If there is no gas appliance in any room occupied or to be occupied by the tenant, the landlord may display a copy of the record prominently in the property, with a statement that the tenant is entitled to request their own copy. The landlord must provide a copy as soon as reasonably practicable on request. (Source: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Regulation 36(5) to (7))
In practice, the simplest approach is to hand the record to the tenant, get a receipt or email acknowledgment, and keep a copy on file alongside your letting paperwork.
What happens if you do not comply?
Failure to comply with Regulation 36 is a criminal offence under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. There is a defence available where a landlord can show they took all reasonable steps to prevent the breach, for example where a tenant repeatedly denied access despite documented attempts to arrange the check. However, this defence is not automatic and it is for a court to decide whether all reasonable steps were actually taken. (Source: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Regulation 39)
Not having a valid gas safety record also has direct consequences for your ability to manage and end a tenancy. Under the previous regime, a landlord could not serve a valid Section 21 notice without first having provided the gas safety certificate to the tenant. That specific route has now been removed by the Renters Rights Act 2025, but the underlying duty remains, and failure to maintain the gas safety record remains a criminal matter with the possibility of prosecution by the HSE.
There is no separate civil penalty regime for gas safety failures of the kind that exists for electrical safety or energy performance. The enforcement route is criminal prosecution. Gas safety failures are also likely to be relevant to a local authority's decision to take action under housing health and safety legislation, and to the operation of the new PRS Landlord Ombudsman.
What you actually need to do
The practical steps are straightforward. Find a Gas Safe registered engineer and book the annual check before the anniversary date of the previous check. When the engineer attends, ensure they have access to every gas appliance and flue in the property. Once the record is issued, give a copy to your tenant within 28 days. Keep your own copy until two further checks have been completed. If the record identifies a defect, arrange remedial work promptly. Do not allow tenants to use an appliance that has been identified as dangerous until it has been repaired or replaced.
You can verify that an engineer is on the Gas Safe Register at gassaferegister.co.uk before booking. The register is the only approved register for gas work in Great Britain.
What this means for landlords
If your property has any gas installation or appliance, the annual gas safety check is a non-negotiable legal requirement. The duty sits with you as the landlord, not with the tenant, and nothing the tenant does or agrees to can relieve you of it. The check must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. You must give the record to new tenants before they move in and to existing tenants within 28 days of each check. You must keep records for the required periods. Failure to comply is a criminal offence, not a civil one.
This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.