What Is a Gas Safety Certificate?
A gas safety certificate, also known as a gas safety record, will typically be given to the landlord or owner of a property after a gas safety check has been conducted.
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Landlords are responsible for their properties and are therefore required to provide their tenants with a copy of any gas safety certificates they receive.
Why are gas safety certificates important?
Landlords have to make sure their property is safe for their tenants to inhabit. Once your gas safety check is conducted, your Landlord Gas Safety Record should be able to prove that any gas appliances, flues and gas pipework in your property have been checked and are safe.
This will protect you from, and allow you to claim, any damages or malfunctions to these appliances while there are tenants in property.
What information does the gas safety certificate contain?
Landlords are required by law to organise an annual gas safety check on all of the gas appliances in their property. The engineer conducting the check should also be on the Gas Safe Register, as this ensures they are legally qualified to work on gas appliances (this law only applies to landlords).
The results of your gas safety check will be recorded in your Landlord Gas Safety Record, and you’ll receive a copy of these results. You have the responsibility to provide your tenants with an online or paper copy within 28 days of the gas safety check.
The Gas Safe Register doesn’t necessarily have a standard certificate, so your particular documentation will vary depending on the company, engineer and the work that is being carried out. Your gas safety record should include the date of the checks, the name, registration number and signature of the gas engineer conducting the checks, the address of the property, and your name and address.
What is checked in the gas safety certificate ?
- A list of each appliance or flue that was checked
- Their description and location in the property
- Any information about safety defects
- A description of the actions already taken or now needed to fix the safety defects
- The results of all safety checks conducted on the appliances.
It is also very important to get your gas pipework checked, but this won’t be conducted as part of your annual gas safety check. Landlords should request a Gas Safe registered engineer to conduct a safety check on the pipework, which should include testing for tightness on the entire gas system and installation pipework, and a thorough visual examination of everything.
How do I get a gas safety certificate?
Like many household repairs and inspections, gas safety checks are conducted by experienced professionals who are either self-employed or belong to a company. Look online for Gas Safe registered engineers near your area, compare their quotes and choose the one that best suits you. Double check they are indeed qualified to carry out your inspection by looking them up in the Gas Safe Register.
When do I get a gas safety certificate?
It is in your best interest to carry out gas safety checks often, to flush out any potential problems you may need to fix before they get too serious. To keep your record up to date, the law requires a minimum of one inspection every twelve months.
How much a gas safety certificate costs?
Prices for gas safety checks vary depending on what exactly your engineer will inspect, and which company or engineer you choose to conduct the inspection.
Generally, a gas safety check for one appliance will cost approximately £60, and will increase with the number of additional appliances that need checking. Some companies offer fixed prices, so it’s always good to shop around before committing to a particular one.
The landlord is responsible for covering these costs for their property.
