Gas Safety Visits
What Happens During a Gas Safety Check (and How Long It Takes)
A gas safety check examines landlord-provided gas appliances and flues in a London rental for safe operation; its duration depends on the appliances, access and findings. This guide explains the visit and how landlords and tenants can prepare. For the document itself, read What Is a Landlord Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)? What It Covers and Looks Like.
Smell gas? Leave and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 from a safe place. Avoid switches and flames. Ventilate and turn off the gas only if safe. If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, get outside and call the gas emergency service. For suspected carbon monoxide symptoms, get fresh air and call NHS 111, or 999 if serious.
Have your postcode, the gas appliances you provide and your current certificate's expiry date ready.
- Gas Safe registered: 648977
- Every landlord gas appliance checked
- Same-day appointments available
The Annual Check Covers the Landlord’s Appliances and Flues
Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 requires annual safety checks of landlord-provided gas appliances and flues by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Your appliance inventory should include any landlord-provided:
- Gas boiler.
- Gas cooker, range cooker or hob.
- Gas fire.
- Gas water heater.
A boiler-only check does not cover other landlord appliances. Tenant-owned appliances are the tenant’s responsibility, although landlords retain duties for installation pipework and flues they provide.
For the service and booking details, see landlord gas safety certificates in London. Tell us every appliance type so the attending engineer’s relevant work categories can be matched to the property.
What the Engineer Checks, from Arrival to the Record
The engineer checks each relevant appliance and flue using methods appropriate to that installation. The sequence below explains what you may see; the order and applicable tests vary.
Arrival, identification and inventory
The engineer confirms the property details and identifies the appliances and their ownership. You can check their current Gas Safe ID card and relevant work categories before work starts.
Installation and accessible pipework
The engineer visually examines the installation and accessible pipework for safety concerns. Tightness testing may be recommended or required by the circumstances; it is not a universal statutory component of every annual check.
Meter and emergency control valve
Access to the meter and gas emergency control valve is checked. Locked cupboards or obstructed access can affect the work, so identify these beforehand.
Burner pressure or gas rate
The engineer checks burner pressure or gas rate as appropriate to the appliance. This helps assess whether it is operating correctly against the applicable requirements.
Combustion analysis
Where required by the applicable instructions, the engineer analyses combustion performance. This helps assess how the appliance burns gas; the same test does not apply identically to every appliance.
Ventilation
The engineer checks that the required ventilation is adequate and unobstructed. Air supply matters to safe operation, particularly where an appliance draws combustion air from the room.
Flues and terminals
The engineer examines the flue and terminal and carries out flue-flow or spillage testing where appropriate. These checks assess whether combustion products can discharge safely.
Safety controls
Flame supervision and other relevant safety controls are checked for correct operation. These devices help prevent unsafe operation, including continued gas flow when a flame has gone out.
Findings and record
The engineer explains findings, identifies any safety action and completes the record for checks performed. Cleaning, adjustment and a boiler service should not be assumed to be included.
How Long Does a Gas Safety Check Take?
There is no fixed duration: appliance numbers and types, flue access and the work needed during the inspection determine how long the check takes.
Appliance inventory
List each gas appliance, its type and location, including appliances outside the kitchen.
Appliance and flue arrangements
Mention unusual locations or flues running through ceiling or wall voids.
Access
Explain how the engineer can reach relevant rooms, the meter and existing inspection points.
Known concerns
Describe previous findings or current concerns that may need additional assessment.
Additional work booked
Say whether you also want a boiler service, which needs time alongside the safety check.
Give the booking team these details:
Ask for a property-specific estimate and clarify what it includes. An arrival window describes when attendance is expected; time on site covers the inspection; record delivery is a separate arrangement. Confirm each when booking. Elapsed time alone does not establish whether a check was thorough.
Prepare the Property and Tenant Before the Visit
Preparation means agreeing access and making the inspection points reachable. Gather the property information first, then check practical access with the occupier. This helps the engineer carry out the required work, but findings or access limitations can still prevent completion.
Agree Access and Gather the Property Details
The landlord or agent should agree who will provide access and how the engineer can contact them.
- Confirm the appointment with the tenant.
- Agree entry arrangements and an access contact.
- Identify every landlord-provided gas appliance and its location.
- Gather the previous record and relevant appliance information, if held.
- Provide accurate landlord or managing-agent details.
- Report known concerns beforehand.
A missing previous record does not automatically prevent a new check. The occupier can check the engineer’s current Gas Safe ID card and relevant categories on arrival. If access fails, document contacts and attempts and rearrange; do not force entry.
Make Appliances, the Meter and Flue Inspection Points Accessible
Clear ordinary household items from access routes and flag locked cupboards or concealed flue routes beforehand.
- Keep appliance surroundings reachable.
- Arrange access to the meter cupboard and emergency control valve.
- Make relevant rooms accessible.
- Keep routes to existing inspection hatches clear.
Some flues pass through ceiling or wall voids and need an appropriate means of inspection. Inaccessible sections require professional assessment. Do not cut hatches, remove appliance casings, disconnect appliances or climb to inspect flues yourself.
A flat with communal heating may have no individual gas boiler. Still identify any other gas appliances, such as a hob, when describing the property.
If the Engineer Finds an Unsafe Appliance
An unsafe finding changes what may be used and what action is needed; it does not erase the completed inspection findings. Read what happens if a gas safety check fails for the fuller explanation.
Under the Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure:
- Immediately Dangerous: The installation presents an immediate danger. The engineer normally disconnects the affected appliance or installation with the responsible person’s permission.
- At Risk: Recognised faults could lead to danger. The engineer generally turns the affected appliance or installation off with permission where doing so makes the situation safer.
The engineer explains warning labels and notices and the action required. Follow those instructions and do not use an unsafe appliance until it has been made safe. The landlord must arrange remedial work with a Gas Safe registered engineer; the inspection record and warning notice explain the findings requiring attention.
What Happens to the Record After the Checks
The Landlord Gas Safety Record documents completed checks and their findings, including safety defects.
Checks completed
Review the appliance list and any limitations. Checks that were not performed cannot be presented as completed.
Record issued
Confirm how you will receive it. Records of completed checks should be issued without waiting for remedial work; a record is not a universal pass certificate.
Copy supplied
Give existing tenants a copy within 28 days of the check and new tenants a copy before they move in.
Act on safety findings promptly. Keep the record until two further checks of the appliance or flue have been carried out, or for two years from its last check if it is removed.
Landlord gas safety certificates
Arrange a Landlord Gas Safety Check in London
To arrange a check, have the property postcode, appliance list and access arrangements ready, then call and ask for an appointment estimate.
All Service 4 U uses Gas Safe registered engineers; our business registration is 648977. Our phone line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Same-day gas safety check appointments are available, with availability confirmed when booking. Mention any separate boiler service and ask how the record will be supplied.
Call to Arrange a Gas Safety Check: 020 3740 6785
020 3740 6785
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Boiler Service the Same as a Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)?
No. A gas safety check assesses safety and produces the landlord record; a boiler service is maintenance carried out to the manufacturer’s instructions. Neither should be assumed to satisfy the other. The landlord check also covers other relevant landlord-provided gas appliances and flues, rather than just the boiler.
Can I Get the Landlord CP12 and Boiler Service Done in One Visit?
Yes, the landlord safety check and boiler service can be booked together, with time allowed for both. One access arrangement can accommodate the two activities, but safety inspection and maintenance remain distinct. Specify both when booking, list the other landlord gas appliances and confirm which documents will be supplied afterwards.
How Often Do I Need a CP12 as a Landlord, and Can I Book It Early?
The check is annual, and a qualifying early check can preserve the existing deadline. Regulation 36A allows this within the two months before that deadline, subject to its conditions. Have the previous record available when agreeing the date. This is an early-check provision, not a grace period or permission to delay an overdue inspection.
What Happens if a Landlord Lets the Gas Safety Certificate Lapse?
Missing the required check deadline breaches the annual duty, and there is no general grace period. Arrange the overdue check promptly and retain records of the arrangements. A later check does not erase the earlier lapse, and booking alone does not restore compliance. Expiry itself does not establish that an appliance is unsafe.
How Much Does a Gas Safety Inspection Cost in the UK?
This guide does not quote a UK-wide price; request a price for the actual property and work required. Provide the number and types of gas appliances, describe the property and say whether you want a separate boiler service. Confirm what the quoted scope includes so it covers the check you need.
Still have a question or need urgent assistance? Call 020 3740 6785, tell us what has happened and we will tell you what happens next.