GAS SAFETY CERTIFICATES

Unlike a gas service which will involve a more in-depth inspection of gas appliances, pipework, vents and flues, a gas safety check is designed to check the following:

• the appliance is operating at the correct operating pressure
• there is an adequate air supply to the appliance and that it is burning gas correctly
• that flues and chimneys are clear and enable the appliance to emit gases and fumes safely to the outside
• that all safety devices on the appliance such as cut out devices are working correctly

Failure to have your gas appliances inspected regularly may lead to harmful gases such as carbon monoxide escaping into your home.

Any household that has gas appliances should ideally have an annual gas safety check by a gas safe registered engineer however it is only a legal requirements for rental properties.

It should be noted that a gas safety inspection is NOT an alternative to a service and appliances should also be serviced annually to make sure they are running efficiently and safely. If you have an annual service, this will include an annual safety check so you don’t need to do both.

Other instances where a gas safety certificate may be required is when you are selling a property. It could form part of the sales process to ensure any gas appliances being sold with the home are operating safely.

Only a heating engineer that is Gas Safe Registered can work on gas boilers and and appliances. That includes conducing safety checks, servicing, installing and repairs.

Before allowing a heating engineer to work on your boiler you should always check that they are registered. See below for more about how you can do this.

The Gas Safety Certificate is your record of what appliances were checked, along with any findings. For example it would highlight any issues found to be requiring attention. This could be problems with the installation or it could be warnings or safety issues that need addressing.

This depends on the severity of the problem. For serious safety issues requiring immediate action your heating engineer may be required by law to turn the appliance off and issue a warning notice. The required remedial action will be discussed with the landlord and steps can then be taken to make the appliance safe.

For less serious safety issues the findings will be logged in the certificate and it will be up to the landlord to decide what remedial works get done.

A gas safety certificate lasts for one year so a new one will be required annually. To help with this, we have an alert system to remind landlords that their gas landlord certificate is about to run out, giving them the option to get booked in for a new one.

Gas safety certificates aren’t expensive. We charge a flat fee of £45.00 for the first appliance (generally the gas boiler) with each additional appliances charged at £15.00. This does not include any additonal time or materials for any required remedial actions.

We also offer an upgrade to a full boiler service which is an additional £17.50 allowing you to get everything done all at the same time.