If you rent your home and it has a gas boiler, fire or cooker, your landlord must have it checked for safety every year.
That applies whether you rent privately, from a housing association or from the council. With the heating now on most days, it is a good time to make sure yours is up to date.
What the law says
Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, landlords must have every gas appliance and flue they provide checked at least once every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Your landlord must give you a copy of the record within 28 days of the check, and new tenants should get one before they move in. You can ask for a paper copy if you would rather not have it by email.
What the engineer checks
The engineer looks at each gas appliance your landlord provides, along with its flue and ventilation. They check that it is burning properly, that fumes are clearing safely and that there are no leaks.
The pipework is not strictly part of the yearly check, but the Health and Safety
Executive recommends that landlords ask the engineer to test the whole gas system for leaks at the same visit.
What the record should show
The record, often called a CP12 or gas safety certificate, should list each appliance checked and where it is, the date of the check, the property address and your landlord’s (or letting agent’s) name and address.
It should also give the engineer’s name, Gas Safe registration number and signature, plus any safety faults found and what was done about them.
Three quick checks for tenants
Ask to see the engineer’s Gas Safe ID card. The back shows which types of gas work they are qualified to do, and you can also look them up on the Gas Safe Register website.
Look at the date on your last record. If it is more than 12 months old, ask your landlord or letting agent when the next check is booked.
Test your carbon monoxide alarm. Since February 2022, every home in Scotland with a gas boiler, gas fire or other fixed appliance that burns fuel for heat must have one. Press the test button to make sure it works.
Gas appliances you own yourself, such as a cooker you bought, are your own responsibility, so it is worth having those checked too.
If you ever smell gas
Open doors and windows, turn the gas off at the meter if you can, do not use electrical switches or naked flames, and call the National Gas Emergency Service free on 0800 111 999, day or night.
This advice comes from Cullen Plumbing & Heating, a family-run gas, heating and plumbing firm based in Corstorphine and trading for 15 years.
The firm carries out landlord gas safety checks across Edinburgh and West Lothian and is Gas Safe registered, number 523861.
For more information, visit: https://www.cullen-plumbing.co.uk/