A landlord gas safety certificate, often called a CP12 and described by HSE as a landlord gas safety record, is valid for 12 months from the date of the check. The law requires each gas appliance and flue you provide to be checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer at intervals of no more than 12 months. Existing tenants must get a copy within 28 days of each check, and new tenants before they move in.
How often must a landlord get a gas safety check?
- Check every appliance and flue you provide at intervals of no more than 12 months, using an engineer on the Gas Safe Register.
- A check made in the two months before the deadline keeps the original deadline date.
- Give existing tenants the record within 28 days of the check, and new tenants before they move in.
- Keep each record until two further checks have been done. HSE gives two years as the minimum.
How long is a landlord gas safety certificate valid?
Regulation 36(3)(a) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 says each appliance and flue must be checked within 12 months of being installed, and then at intervals of not more than 12 months. HSE says the record is valid for twelve months from the date of the check. If a new tenancy starts inside that period, the record stays current and you can copy it to the new tenants.
For a new lease, regulation 36(3)(b) asks for a check in the 12 months before the lease starts, or within 12 months after the appliance was installed, whichever is later. A home left empty needs a current record before the next tenant moves in.
Can you renew a gas safety certificate early?
Yes, by up to two months. Regulation 36A(1) says a check made within the two months ending with the deadline date is treated as made on the deadline date. HSE puts it the same way: you keep the original deadline as if the check had been done exactly 12 months after the previous one.
A check earlier than the window still counts, but on our reading the next 12 months then run from the day it was done. Book inside the window.
What must the record contain?
Regulation 36(3)(c) lists the minimum, and HSE repeats it. Check the record shows:
- the date of the check and the property address;
- the landlord’s or agent’s name and address;
- each appliance or flue checked, and where it is;
- any safety defect and the action taken;
- confirmation that the regulation 26(9) examinations were done (flue, combustion air supply, operating pressure or heat input, and safe operation);
- the engineer’s name, signature and Gas Safe registration number.
A service is not the same as a safety check. HSE says not to assume an annual service covers the points a safety check requires.
If the engineer finds defects, HSE says the record should still be issued on completion, and the follow-up work added to it. You can send it electronically if the tenant agrees, and must give a paper copy on request.
Who must get a copy, and when?
Regulation 36(6) and (7) set the timing. GOV.UK tells tenants the same: a copy before they move in, or within 28 days of the check.
| Who | When |
|---|---|
| Existing tenant | Within 28 days of the date of the check |
| New tenant | Before they occupy the home, a copy of the last record for each appliance or flue |
| Stay of 28 days or less | A copy may instead be prominently displayed in the home |
| No gas appliance in any room the tenant occupies | A copy may be displayed with a statement that they can have their own on request |
Which appliances does the check cover?
HSE says all permanent and portable gas appliances and flues you own and provide for the tenant’s use need an annual check, including LPG heaters.
- A tenant’s own appliance. You are responsible for parts of the installation and pipework, not the appliance. HSE recommends you include every flue in your check.
- Communal boilers. Where one appliance serves several homes, you must make sure it is maintained and checked. If the building owner is someone else, agree who does it and ask to see the evidence.
- A lodger or an empty home. HSE says a landlord with a lodger who pays rent must arrange the annual check, and an empty home needs an up-to-date record before new tenants move in.
How long must you keep the record?
Regulation 36(3)(c) says to keep it until there have been two further checks of the appliance or flue, or for 2 years from the last check if the appliance has been removed. HSE’s FAQ gives two years. Treat two years as the minimum; our landlord legislation guide covers the other checks.
What if the check is overdue or the tenant will not let you in?
There is no general grace period. Regulation 36A(2) and (3) lets you check up to two months after the deadline date, once per appliance or flue, and only to line its date up with another appliance in the same home. HSE describes it for a new appliance’s first check. Otherwise an overdue check breaches regulation 36(3)(a). Book the engineer as soon as you see a gap.
Regulation 39 is the defence: you are not guilty of an offence under regulation 36 if you show you took all reasonable steps to prevent it. HSE says you must not use force. Its steps are a notice that you called, a letter explaining the check is a legal requirement and for the tenant’s safety, an offer to let them book their own appointment, and a file of every message.
HSE’s FAQ says inspectors look for at least three attempts; its page on dealing with tenants says repeated attempts. A court decides. GOV.UK says a landlord must give at least 24 hours’ notice of a visit, except in an emergency. HSE gives no fine figure, only a substantial fine and/or a custodial sentence.
What changed on 1 May 2026. Until 1 May 2026, a landlord who had not given the tenant the gas record could not serve a section 21 notice. Section 21 notices have ended for assured tenancies, and that link ran through section 21A of the Housing Act 1988 and the 2015 regulations, whose regulation 2 named the gas record. S.I. 2026/325 revoked those regulations for private assured tenancies from 1 May 2026, with savings for some cases already under way. The duty to check and to give the record is unchanged.
Do licensing and the landlord register ask for it?
Enfield’s selective licence application asks for a gas safety certificate among its documents, as the council’s page lists. Our article on Enfield selective licensing has the rest. The draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 would ask for a copy of the record, if one exists, and its issue date where the home has gas. They were a draft, not yet made, when we read them; see our London landlord register article.
Worked example: a gas safety renewal timeline
These dates are invented to show the arithmetic.
| Date (invented) | What happens |
|---|---|
| 15 March 2026 | Engineer checks the boiler, hob and flue. The next deadline is 15 March 2027, counting 12 months as HSE does, and the two-month window opens around 15 January 2027. |
| 20 January 2027 | Check made inside the two months before 15 March 2027, so treated as made on that date. |
| 17 February 2027 | Last day to give the existing tenant a copy (28 days after that check). |
| 1 April 2027 | A new tenant moves in. They receive the 20 January 2027 record first. |
| 15 March 2028 | The next deadline. A check on 10 January 2027 would have been too early to keep this date. |
What should a landlord do each year to stay compliant?
- Diary the deadline and the day the two-month window opens.
- Book a Gas Safe registered engineer, and check their registration and the types of gas work on their ID card.
- Check the record against the list above.
- Send existing tenants their copy within 28 days, and keep proof you did.
- Remedy defects and add the action to the record. HSE says it is illegal to use an appliance suspected to be unsafe.
- If an agent manages the home, make sure the management contract says who books, who holds the record and who sends the copy.
A tenant can ask to see the record, check the date is within 12 months, and look up the engineer on the Gas Safe Register. For a suspected leak, HSE’s guidance gives the National Gas Emergency Service number, 0800 111 999.
Our property maintenance service page covers arranging the safety certificates for a let home. If you let in Edmonton and want help arranging the annual check, talk to our lettings team.
Questions readers ask
Can I have the gas safety check done early without changing my renewal date?
Yes, up to two months early. Regulation 36A treats a check made in the two months ending with the deadline date as made on that date, so the next deadline stays 12 months after the previous one. A check earlier than that is still a check, but on our reading the next 12 months run from the day it was done.
Do I need a new gas safety record for every new tenant?
Not necessarily. HSE says the record is valid for 12 months from the date of the check, and if a new tenancy starts within that time the record stays current and you can copy it to the new tenants. They must have the copy before they move in. If you suspect an appliance was tampered with while the home was empty, HSE recommends a fresh check.
What can I do if my tenant will not let the engineer in?
You must not use force. Regulation 39 gives a defence where you took all reasonable steps. HSE recommends leaving a notice, writing to explain that the check is a legal requirement and for the tenant’s safety, offering them the chance to book their own appointment, and keeping every message. A court decides whether your steps were reasonable.
How long must I keep a gas safety record?
Regulation 36(3)(c) says to keep it until there have been two further checks of the appliance or flue, or for 2 years from the last check if the appliance has been removed. HSE’s page puts the minimum at two years. If you used the early-check rule, HSE says to keep the record until two further checks have been done.
Is it illegal to rent out a property without a gas safety certificate?
Regulation 36 requires every gas appliance and flue you provide to be checked at least every 12 months, and a breach can be prosecuted. HSE says the result could be a substantial fine and/or a custodial sentence. Regulation 39 is a defence only if you can show you took all reasonable steps to prevent the breach.
Sources
- Health and Safety Executive, Gas safety: landlords and letting agents, last updated 6 November 2024.
- Health and Safety Executive, Gas safety check records and what to keep, what if…? and what needs them?, last updated 23 September 2024.
- Health and Safety Executive, Who needs a gas safety check?, last updated 23 September 2024.
- Health and Safety Executive, Dealing with tenants, last updated 15 October 2024.
- legislation.gov.uk, Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulations 36, 36A, 39 and 26, read on 17 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk, 2015 prescribed-requirements regulations, regulation 2, and S.I. 2026/325, regulations 10 and 12, read on 17 October 2026.
- legislation.gov.uk, Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 (draft), read on 17 October 2026.
- GOV.UK, Your landlord’s safety responsibilities and Your rights and responsibilities, read on 17 October 2026.
- Enfield Council, Selective licensing scheme, read on 17 October 2026.
