The legal position
Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, landlords must have every gas appliance and flue in a let property checked for safety each year by a Gas Safe registered engineer. It isn’t optional, and “the tenant never complained” is not a defence.
The penalties
Enforcement is by the Health and Safety Executive. Penalties range from improvement notices to unlimited fines and, in the most serious cases where tenants are put at risk, prosecution. Councils can act too where safety is compromised.
Insurance and possession
A lapsed certificate can invalidate your landlord insurance, leaving you exposed if something goes wrong. In England it can also affect your ability to serve a valid Section 21 notice, because the current gas safety record must have been given to the tenant.
How to put it right
If your certificate has expired, arrange a gas safety check as soon as possible and give the tenant a copy of the new record. Checks are due every 12 months, so it’s worth diarising the next one. We can usually attend quickly and issue the certificate on the same visit across South Manchester and Cheshire.
Certificate lapsed, or not sure where you stand? We’ll get you compliant fast — a Gas Safe check and certificate, often same-visit, across South Manchester and Cheshire.
See our landlord gas safety service
