# What gas safety checks does a landlord need?

Establish which appliances and flues you are responsible for and use a suitably registered engineer.

Jurisdiction: England, Wales, Scotland
Source check: 2026-11-03. Editorial status: source-checked draft; specialist sign-off pending.

## Who this covers
Landlords of relevant rented accommodation with gas appliances or flues within their responsibilities. Commercial premises need a separate assessment.

## The requirement
Maintain relevant gas fittings and flues, arrange the required annual safety check and provide and retain the required gas safety records.

## Practical steps
- Identify appliances and flues covered by your landlord duties.
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer qualified for the relevant work.
- Arrange access, keep records and provide them to tenants as required.

## Common mistake
A service and a landlord gas safety check are different tasks. The annual landlord-check rule should not be applied indiscriminately to every commercial building.

## Timing
The landlord safety check is annual, subject to the permitted timing rules. Follow appropriate maintenance requirements as well.

## Questions for a provider
- Are you registered for this appliance and fuel type?
- Does the price include the safety check, servicing or both?
- How will defects be recorded and addressed?

## Official sources
- [HSE: landlords and gas safety](https://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/faqlandlord.htm)

General information, not an assessment or a statement that a business is compliant.


## Keep the booking, visit and record as separate milestones

### Before you commission work
Give the engineer the property details, appliance information and previous records available to you. Agree access with the occupant and clarify whether the instruction covers the safety check, servicing or both. Confirm who receives the completed record and who deals with recommendations or access problems.

### Follow through on the result
Check that the visit produced the agreed record and note any appliance or area not covered. Follow up findings and incomplete work with the competent engineer. Keep access correspondence with the job history so a later manager can distinguish a completed check from an attempted visit. A booking confirmation should never be filed as the result.

## Buying the right work
- List the appliances and flues within your responsibility.
- Check the engineer is registered and qualified for the appliance and fuel.
- Agree whether the price covers a safety check, a service, repairs or a combination.

## What you can do yourself
Arrange access, locate previous records and check the agreed scope. These organisational tasks do not make you competent to carry out gas work.

## When to get help
Use a suitably qualified Gas Safe registered engineer. Treat access difficulties as something to manage and document; do not assume an unanswered visit completes the duty.

## Records to keep
- Appliances and flues covered by the arrangements.
- Safety-check records and relevant maintenance information.
- Access attempts and correspondence where visits cannot be completed.

## Is a service the same as a gas safety check?
No. Confirm the scope of each task and which records will be provided.

Source check for this expanded guide: 2026-11-03. Specialist sign-off pending.