Landlord gas safety certificate (CP12) in London

Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, landlords must make sure every gas appliance and flue they provide is checked for safety every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The HSE guidance for landlords and letting agents sets out the record rules:

• Keep a record of each safety check for at least two years.
• Give a copy to each existing tenant within 28 days of the check.
• Give a copy to any new tenant before they move in.

CP12 is an old form number from the days of CORGI, the register before Gas Safe. People still use it for the record. The record lists each appliance, its location, what was checked and any defects found.

If you use a lettings agent, check your agreement. Many agents in south and west London arrange the yearly check for landlords, but the legal duty can sit with whoever the contract says manages the property.

Since the 2018 amendment to the regulations, you can have the check done up to two months before it is due and keep the original expiry date. So if your record runs out on 30 November, a check any time from 1 October still runs to the following 30 November.

This helps London landlords line the check up with the end of a tenancy, or with a quiet week for a busy tenant, without losing months off the cycle. Keep the old record as well as the new one so you can show the dates.

A gas safety check confirms each appliance is safe to use at that moment. It does not include stripping and cleaning the boiler. A service does. Many manufacturers ask for a yearly service to keep the guarantee valid, and a serviced boiler is less likely to break down in the middle of a tenancy.

Booking both together keeps the dates in line and needs only one visit, which tenants usually prefer. The same engineer can do both if the boiler case is coming off anyway.

In England, the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 require landlords to fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation with a fixed combustion appliance, such as a gas boiler or fire. Gas cookers are not included. The engineer will mention it if one is missing.

Private landlords in England also need an electrical installation condition report (EICR) at least every five years. That is separate and done by an electrician, not a gas engineer.

Most delays with landlord checks are about access, not the boiler. Give us the tenant's name and number, or the agent who holds keys, and we arrange a time with them directly. HSE expects landlords to take reasonable steps to get access and to keep a record of those attempts, such as letters, emails and texts, if a tenant refuses.

In flats where the boiler sits in a kitchen or hall cupboard, ask tenants to clear it before the visit. In blocks with hidden flues in ceiling voids, the engineer needs the inspection hatches open. If there are none, tell us when you book.