Gas Safety · Practical guide
How often must landlords arrange gas safety checks?
The annual deadline, which appliances and flues are covered, and when an early check keeps the same due date.
The short answer
What you need to know
Landlords must arrange a gas safety check every 12 months for appliances and flues covered by their duty. A new appliance should be checked within 12 months of installation, and relevant checks must be current before a new tenancy begins. A check carried out in the final two months before its due date can keep the original annual deadline. Use a Gas Safe registered engineer qualified for the work. Servicing and maintenance are separate from the safety check.
The detail
Understanding the requirements
The annual deadline
Under regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, landlords must arrange a safety check at intervals of no more than 12 months for each appliance and flue covered by the landlord duty. A newly installed appliance must have its first check within 12 months of installation. Before a new tenancy starts, the relevant checks must have been carried out within the previous year, unless the appliance was installed less than 12 months ago and its first check is not yet due.
The check needs to be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer qualified for the type of appliance and work. Keep the safety check record until two further checks have been completed. Give existing tenants a copy within 28 days of the check, and give new tenants the latest record before they move in. HSE notes that displaying the record is an option in certain cases.
Checking early without moving the deadline
Landlords can book an annual check in the two calendar months before it is due and still retain the original deadline for the following year, provided the conditions in regulation 36A are met. For example, a check normally due in June can be arranged in April or May without automatically bringing the next June deadline forward. HSE describes this as flexibility, not a requirement to wait until that window.
A check carried out earlier than that window will normally set a new date from the day it was performed. Keep a clear record of the previous and new dates so the next check is booked against the right deadline. The early-check rule does not extend the maximum interval beyond the annual due date.
What the check covers
The duty generally covers gas appliances and flues provided for tenants, including shared installations such as a boiler outside the flat that heats it. An appliance owned by the tenant, and a flue serving only that appliance, is generally outside the landlord’s annual check duty. The property and tenancy still need to fall within the regulations’ scope; HSE’s guide explains exclusions for some exclusively non-residential areas.
A safety check is not the same as a service. Landlords must also maintain relevant gas fittings and flues in a safe condition. HSE advises servicing appliances in line with the manufacturer’s instructions, or asking a Gas Safe registered engineer where those instructions are unavailable. If access is refused, keep evidence of reasonable attempts to arrange the work. The gas regulations do not give a landlord power to force entry.
Trace the answer
What the official guidance says
Source notes below are Falstaff summaries. Text in quotation marks is a short excerpt from the linked official source.
Health and Safety Executive · What are my main duties as a landlord? · Falstaff chunk 9bd849b2
Landlords: A guide to landlords’ duties (INDG285)
“ensure an annual safety check is carried out on each gas appliance/flue”
Falstaff source note: The stored passage covers the annual check, checks before a new tenancy, record retention and when tenants receive a copy.
HSE PDF covering landlords’ gas safety duties, including the 2018 timing amendment.
UK legislation · Regulation 36
Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36
Falstaff source note: The legal source for the landlord’s maintenance, annual check and record duties.
Latest available revised regulation on legislation.gov.uk.
UK legislation · Regulation 36A
Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36A
Falstaff source note: The legal source for retaining the deadline when a check is completed in the permitted early window.
Latest available revised regulation on legislation.gov.uk.
Health and Safety Executive · Timing flexibility · Falstaff chunk a513eb49
Landlords: A guide to landlords’ duties (INDG285)
Falstaff source note: HSE explains the 10–12 calendar month window and why a service does not replace a safety check.
HSE PDF covering landlords’ gas safety duties, including the 2018 timing amendment.
Health and Safety Executive · Equipment covered · Falstaff chunk a83629f3
Landlords: A guide to landlords’ duties (INDG285)
Falstaff source note: HSE distinguishes landlord-supplied and tenant-owned appliances, and covers shared installations.
HSE PDF covering landlords’ gas safety duties, including the 2018 timing amendment.
Health and Safety Executive · Access to the property · Falstaff chunk b0563e0c
Landlords: A guide to landlords’ duties (INDG285)
Falstaff source note: HSE explains reasonable attempts to gain access and the absence of a power to force entry.
HSE PDF covering landlords’ gas safety duties, including the 2018 timing amendment.
Practical considerations
These examples help frame a site-specific assessment. Check the current official sources before making a compliance decision.
- List the appliances and flues you provide, including any shared boiler serving the property, and track each check deadline.
- Book an engineer whose Gas Safe registration covers the appliance and work; keep the completed check record and give tenants their copy on time.
- If you use the two-month early-check window, record the original due date and confirm that the conditions for retaining it are met.
- Arrange maintenance separately from the safety check. Keep written evidence of reasonable attempts to gain access if a tenant refuses a visit.