HOW TO HIRE · PLUMBING & HEATING

How to hire a gas safety engineer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

Landlords need a yearly gas safety check by a Gas Safe engineer, kept for 2 years and given to tenants. How to check the engineer and the record.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a gas safety engineer in five steps

  1. Book a Gas Safe engineerThe check must be done by someone on the Gas Safe Register; check the licence by text to 85080.
  2. List every gas applianceBoiler, hob, fire — every appliance you provide is part of the check.
  3. Book before the old record expiresThe check is every year; diarise it so the record never lapses.
  4. Give tenants the recordWithin 28 days of the check, and to new tenants before they move in.
  5. Keep it for 2 yearsFile every record; you may be asked to show it.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Gas Safe Register

The landlord check is gas work: under the 1998 Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations, and Northern Ireland's 2004 Regulations, only an engineer on the Gas Safe Register may carry it out for pay.

Check the licence by text to 85080 or on 0800 408 5500 and keep the number with the record. gassaferegister.co.uk →

The yearly landlord duty

HSE sets out the duty: every gas appliance and flue the landlord provides checked every year by a Gas Safe engineer, the record kept for 2 years, and a copy to existing tenants within 28 days of the check.

Diarise the next check date from the date on the current record. hse.gov.uk →

Categories on the card

An engineer registered only for boilers may not be qualified to check a gas fire or a range cooker. The back of the card lists what they can work on.

Read the categories against the appliances in the property. hse.gov.uk →

A service is not the same thing

A boiler service keeps the boiler running well, but it is not what the Gas Safety Regulations ask a landlord for; the gas safety record covers every gas appliance you provide. Many engineers do both on one visit, but the record is the legal document.

Ask for 'the landlord gas safety record' by name when you book.

VAT

A gas safety check and its record are standard-rated at 20%, for a landlord and a homeowner alike. Over the £90,000 registration threshold a trader must charge it and show it separately; under it there is no VAT and no VAT number.

Ask whether the gas safety check price is with VAT, and for the VAT number on the invoice. gov.uk →

“Are you registered for every gas appliance in the property?”

A good answer: Yes, checked against the back of the card — boiler, hob, fire, whatever is there.

“What does your gas safety check cover for each appliance?”

A good answer: Safe operation, ventilation, the flue, and a tightness test on the pipework, appliance by appliance.

“Will the record list every appliance and any defects?”

A good answer: Yes. A record with appliances missing does not meet the duty.

“Can you do the boiler service on the same visit?”

A good answer: Often yes, priced as a separate item so you can see both.

“What happens if an appliance fails the check?”

A good answer: The defect written on the record, the appliance made safe, and a separate price to repair it.

“Can you send the record electronically?”

A good answer: Yes, so you can forward it to tenants within 28 days and keep a copy.

Getting the quote right

  • The price for the gas safety check and the number of appliances it covers
  • The boiler service, if wanted, as a separate line
  • That remedial work is quoted separately before it is done
  • The engineer's name and Gas Safe licence number
  • Who actually attends to do the gas safety check — the named Gas Safe engineer, employed or subcontracted
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% as a separate figure

Walk away if

  • A record issued without anyone visiting
  • An engineer who cannot show a card covering every appliance
  • Appliances missing from the record
  • Pressure to have repairs done on the spot at an unagreed price
LOW
£60
TYPICAL
£90
HIGH
£130

What a gas safety engineer costs: £60–£130 per certificate

The gas safety check is priced per certificate, rising with the number of appliances; repairs are quoted separately. Gas Safety Certificate price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Gas safety engineers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Card and appliance listThe engineer shows the card and you agree which appliances are being checked.
  2. Tightness testThe gas pipework is pressure-tested for leaks.
  3. Appliance checksEach appliance is run and checked for safe operation and correct burning.
  4. Flue and ventilationFlues and air supply are checked so fumes leave the building safely.
  5. The recordEvery appliance, the result and any defect go on the gas safety record.

Landlord gas safety record
The yearly record of the gas safety check; often called a CP12.
Tightness test
A pressure test showing the gas pipework does not leak.
Flue check
Testing that fumes are carried safely out of the building.
Remedial work
Repairs to fix defects found in the check, priced separately.
Gas Safe ID card
The engineer's card, with categories of work on the back.
Appliance
Any gas boiler, hob, cooker or fire the landlord provides.

AFTER

When the job is done

Send tenants their copyWithin 28 days of the check; new tenants get it before they move in.
Keep the record for 2 yearsFile it with the tenancy papers; HSE can ask to see it.
Deal with any defectBook the repair and keep the invoice with the record.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy are tied to a booking, so yours about the gas safety check carries weight. If something is not right, the make-it-right step gives the gas safety engineer the first chance to fix it before it is published.

STEP 1Put it in writing to the gas safety engineerStart with an email to the gas safety engineer: the problem, photos and what would put it right. A trader's gas safety check is covered by section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and the remedies — doing it again, or a price reduction — follow from sections 55 and 56.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepA score under four stars opens the make-it-right step: you choose whether the gas safety engineer gets the chance to put the gas safety check right first, and we chase it to an end before you publish.
STEP 3A landlord with no recordA tenant without a current gas safety record can report the landlord to HSE. Illegal gas work goes to Gas Safe Register.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedA claim against the gas safety engineer that will not settle can go to court without a lawyer — the small claims track for up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure for up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court for up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a gas safety engineer: questions people ask

Only an engineer on the Gas Safe Register, in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Every year, for every gas appliance the landlord provides.

For 2 years, and give existing tenants a copy within 28 days of the check.

£60–£130 per certificate, about £90 typical for a boiler and one other appliance. What pushes it up or down is in the gas safety certificate price guide; search above by town for engineers in your area.

No. They are separate jobs, often done on the same visit and priced as two items.

Ask for it in writing. If it is not provided, HSE takes reports from tenants.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in plumbing & heating

How to hire: Boiler Service & RepairHow to hire: Gas EngineerHow to hire: Boiler ReplacementHow to hire: Boiler InstallationHow to hire: Emergency PlumberHow to hire: PlumberHow to hire: Fireplace InstallationHow to hire: Central Heating InstallationAll 701 hiring guides →

Gas safety engineers near you

Gas safety engineers in LondonGas safety engineers in ManchesterGas safety engineers in BirminghamGas safety engineers in GlasgowGas safety engineers in BelfastAll gas safety engineers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 3
  2. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004, regulation 3
  3. HSE — Gas Safe Register: the scheme, its coverage and the ID card
  4. Gas Safe Register
  5. HSE — domestic gas safety: frequently asked questions
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register