What's checked in a landlord gas safety inspection?

A landlord gas safety inspection is a safety check of the gas the landlord is responsible for, carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The engineer works through every gas appliance, fitting and flue, and it usually takes around 20 to 30 minutes per appliance, so the total time depends on how many appliances the property has. Here's what actually happens during the visit, what the check doesn't cover, and what the results mean.

What does the engineer check on each appliance?

Six things, broadly, on every appliance and flue. Each is a distinct test with its own pass mark, which is why the visit takes real time rather than a glance and a signature.

• Gas tightness (soundness) of the installation, that there are no leaks.
• Burner pressure or heat input, measured against the appliance data plate.
• That the flue is clearing the products of combustion, using flue flow and spillage tests.
• That there is adequate ventilation for the appliance to burn safely.
• That the appliance's safety devices operate correctly.
• That the appliance is stable, correctly fitted and not damaged.

What happens on the day?

What is not included in a gas safety check?

A gas safety check is not a boiler service. The check confirms each appliance is safe to use; a service is maintenance, with the appliance opened up, cleaned and adjusted to the manufacturer's instructions. A boiler can pass its safety check this year and still break down in January because it hasn't been serviced in five. Landlords have a separate ongoing duty to maintain appliances, so most pair the annual check with a service, which is usually cheaper than two separate visits anyway. The check also generally covers the appliances the landlord provides rather than any the tenant owns, though flues serving tenants' appliances can still be the landlord's concern, and it doesn't include electrical work, which is the EICR's territory.

What happens if an appliance fails?

It's recorded as a fail, the defect is noted on the record, and the engineer explains what needs doing. A fail on the record is not the end of the world; it's the system working. What matters is what happens next: the landlord must get the defect fixed, and any remedial gas work must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. If an appliance is immediately dangerous, the engineer will follow the current unsafe situations procedure, which is there to make sure nobody sleeps next to an appliance that's spilling combustion products. Keep the failed record and the evidence of the fix together; the pair tells the story of a defect found and dealt with, which is exactly what an inspector or insurer wants to see.

How should a landlord prepare the property for the check?

Make sure the engineer can get in and get at things. That means access agreed with the tenant well in advance, appliances reachable rather than boxed in behind stored belongings, and credit on a prepayment meter, because an engineer who can't run the appliances can't test them. A wasted visit still costs money and, worse, burns diary time you may not have before the deadline. This is where booking inside the early-renewal window earns its keep: a check arranged from month 10 can absorb a failed appointment; one arranged in week 52 cannot.

How do the results reach you?

As the completed CP12, which the tenant must receive within 28 days of the check and any new tenant before moving in, with the landlord keeping it for at least two years. How quickly it lands depends on the engineer's paperwork. Engineers who complete the record on paper post or scan it when they get around to it; engineers using Manifold fill it in on their phone at the appliance and send it the moment the last reading is in, so the landlord's copy arrives while the van is still outside. If your current engineer's certificates take weeks to appear, that's worth a conversation.