Any landlord in Halesworth with gas in a rented property needs a gas safety check every 12 months, and a record to show it was done. That part is the law. What is not fixed is how thoroughly the check is done, how the visit gets arranged with your tenant, and what happens if something fails.
Andrew Frances runs Always Plumbing Services in Halesworth and carries out landlord gas safety inspections across the town and the places around it. These are the questions worth asking any engineer before you book, and the answers you should expect.
Is the engineer registered for every appliance?
The check must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Most landlords know that much. Fewer know that the back of an engineer's Gas Safe card shows which types of appliance they are qualified to work on, such as boilers, cookers and gas fires.
So if the property has a gas fire as well as a boiler, ask whether the engineer covers both. Andrew is on the Gas Safe Register under number 306633, and you can look up any engineer's number on the Gas Safe Register website before they come.
What will actually be checked?
A landlord check is more than a glance at the boiler. On each gas appliance and flue you provide, you should expect the engineer to:
- test the gas pipework for leaks, with a tightness test at the meter
- check the appliance is burning at the right gas pressure or heat input
- check the flue is taking fumes away safely, with a spillage test on open-flued fires and boilers
- make sure the appliance has enough air to burn safely
- check the safety devices shut the gas off when they should
If the answer to "what do you check?" is vague, that tells you something about the visit.
Is a service included, or is it just the check?
This catches a lot of landlords out. The gas safety check shows the appliances are safe on the day. A boiler service is maintenance: the casing comes off, the parts that wear get cleaned, and tired seals are spotted before they fail. The law expects landlords to keep appliances maintained as well as checked, and one does not stand in for the other.
Plenty of landlords have both done on one visit, which means one appointment for the tenant instead of two. Ask for both when you book, so the right amount of time is set aside.
What happens if something fails?
An engineer cannot walk away from an unsafe appliance. Anything dangerous gets turned off and labelled so nobody uses it until it is put right. Smaller faults go on the record with a note of what needs doing.
So ask how repairs are handled. Andrew explains what he has found and what it will cost before any work starts, and you decide what happens next. If the fault is on the boiler, it becomes a boiler repair, priced on its own.
Who arranges access with the tenant?
Getting in is often the hardest part of the whole job. If you would like Andrew to agree a time with your tenant, send their name and number when you book. If you would rather do it yourself, tell the tenant who is coming and when, and make sure the boiler, the gas meter and any gas fire can be reached.
Keep a note of the dates you offered and the messages you sent. If a tenant keeps putting the visit off, that record shows you took reasonable steps to get the check done.
When do I get the record, and can it be done early?
You get the landlord gas safety record, usually called a CP12, for your files. Existing tenants need a copy within 28 days of the check, and a new tenant needs one before they move in. Keep each record for at least two years.
You do not have to leave it to the final week. The check can be done up to two months before the old record runs out and you keep the original renewal date, so the date does not creep earlier every year. Our pre-visit checklist covers what to have ready on the day.
Questions people ask
Three more that landlords often ask about the check.
What does CP12 actually mean?
It is the old name for the landlord gas safety record, taken from the form number CORGI used before Gas Safe took over the register. The name stuck. What matters is that the record covers every appliance you provide, with the results and the engineer's details.
My record runs out between tenancies. Do I still need a check?
Yes. The next tenant has to be given a current record before they move in, so book the check while the property is empty and access is easy.
What should my tenant do if they smell gas?
Turn the gas off at the meter if they can, open the doors and windows, avoid light switches and naked flames, and ring the gas emergency line on 0800 111 999. Once the supply has been made safe, call us to find and fix the cause.
If a record is due in the next couple of months, ring Andrew on 07801 988752 or send the property details through the contact page and he will get it booked in.
