Gas Safety Explained
What Is a Landlord Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)? What It Covers and Looks Like
A landlord gas safety certificate, commonly called a CP12, is the record a Gas Safe registered engineer completes after checking the landlord’s gas appliances and flues in a rental property, including London rentals. It documents the checks, safety defects and action taken. This guide explains its contents under England’s rules, with an annotated example. Receiving a record does not mean every appliance passed.
Safety: If you smell gas, leave and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 from a safe place. Treat a sounding carbon monoxide alarm as real. For suspected carbon monoxide exposure, get into fresh air and seek help through NHS 111, or 999 if symptoms are 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 Legal Duty Behind the Landlord’s Record
Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 requires landlords to arrange safety checks of the gas appliances and flues they provide, normally at intervals no longer than 12 months. A Gas Safe registered engineer carries out the check. Regulation 36A allows qualifying checks in the two months before the existing deadline to preserve that deadline. This is an early-check window, not a grace period. See gas safety certificate renewal deadlines and early checks.
The inspection and supplying its record are separate duties:
For a rental property needing its inspection, we provide landlord gas safety checks in London.
Arrange
have the required appliances and flues checked by the applicable deadline.
Record
retain the record showing what was checked, the findings and action taken.
Provide
give existing tenants a copy within 28 days of the check and new tenants a copy before they move in.
CP12, Gas Safety Certificate and Landlord Gas Safety Record
CP12 and landlord gas safety certificate are commonly used names for the Landlord Gas Safety Record. The wording on the document can vary, so identify it by its contents and purpose.
CP12
a familiar shorthand for the landlord’s gas safety record.
Landlord gas safety certificate
the everyday name used when arranging or discussing the annual check.
Landlord Gas Safety Record
the name describing the document that records the inspection and findings.
A Building Regulations compliance certificate relating to installation work is a different document; it does not replace the annual landlord gas safety record.
What Does a Gas Safety Certificate Look Like? An Annotated Example
A gas safety certificate usually has property and landlord details, appliance entries, safety findings and engineer identification, but layouts differ. The required information matters more than the colour, branding or software used.
Required Information and Additional Boxes on the Form
A form may contain more boxes than the minimum information required by regulation 36.
- Required information: the seven groups above, including engineer identification and signature, the items checked, safety defects and action taken.
- Additional form features: a document reference, next-check reminder, customer acknowledgement or alarm observation.
A landlord’s signature is not required on the gas safety record. A logo, reference number or tenant signature does not prove authenticity, and a reminder date does not replace checking the applicable deadline. An alarm observation on the form is not a separate alarm certificate.
The following text illustration maps the seven information groups in regulation 36(3)(c), also described in HSE’s guidance, to recognisable parts of a record.
Illustration only: not a valid gas safety record. All fields below are deliberately blank. This is an explanatory layout, not our confirmed document template.
-
Appliance or flue description and location: ........
Usually found in the appliance schedule. These details identify each item checked and where it is located. Each appliance needs a distinct entry; a boiler entry does not establish that a separate cooker was checked. -
Date of the safety check: ........
Usually near the record heading or inspection details. This identifies when the check occurred. It is different from a booking date, document delivery date or next-check reminder. -
Property address: ........
Usually in the property section. This identifies the premises where the appliances or flues were checked. Check that it identifies the correct flat or dwelling. -
Landlord or appropriate agent’s name and address: ........
Usually in a separate customer or landlord section. These details identify the landlord or agent associated with the property and may differ from the inspected address. -
Safety defects and remedial action taken: ........
Usually alongside appliance results or in a defects section. This records problems identified and action actually taken. Recommended future work is not evidence that the work has been completed. -
Engineer’s name, registration number and signature: ........
Usually in the engineer or declaration section. These identify the person who carried out the check and connect them with the recorded findings. -
Confirmation of the prescribed safety examinations: ........
Usually in the results or declaration section. This confirms the relevant safety examinations were undertaken; a document heading alone cannot establish this.
The appliance schedule should allow separate entries, for example:
- Appliance entry 1: description ........; location ........; findings ........
- Appliance entry 2: description ........; location ........; findings ........
Read each appliance entry alongside its findings and any action recorded. Do not assume a blank entry means an appliance passed.
What Is Checked for the Landlord Gas Safety Record?
The annual check covers every gas appliance and flue the landlord provides, including appliances beyond the boiler. A gas safety check examines their safety; it does not service every part of the heating system.
Gas boilers and water heaters
safety checks of each landlord-provided appliance and its associated flue.
Gas cookers, hobs and range cookers
separate appliance checks, even where the boiler has already been checked.
Gas fires
checks of the appliance and relevant flue arrangements.
Associated flues and ventilation
checks that combustion products can leave safely and sufficient combustion air is available.
The scope includes:
Safety examinations address effective flue operation, combustion air, operating pressure or heat input as applicable, and safe operation, including safety devices. For how these examinations are carried out, read what happens during a gas safety check.
Tenant-owned appliances are generally outside the landlord’s annual appliance-check duty, although associated landlord-controlled flues may still fall within it. Maintaining installation pipework is a separate landlord duty. A universal pipework tightness-test claim should not be treated as the definition of a CP12.
Receiving, Keeping and Finding the Record
The landlord must retain the gas safety record and provide the required tenant copies. Keep the document accessible alongside the property’s appliance history.
Receive
check the property details, appliance entries and findings. Electronic records must remain secure and printable. Electronic delivery requires the tenant to be able and willing to receive the record, with a paper copy available on request.
Retain
keep the record until two further checks of the appliance or flue have taken place. For an appliance or flue that has been removed, keep its record for two years from its last check.
Recover
if a copy is missing, start with the landlord or issuing business. Read how to get a copy of a lost gas safety certificate for the next steps. A fresh inspection records current findings; it cannot recreate a missing historic inspection or installation notification.
Landlord gas safety certificates
Arrange a Landlord Gas Safety Check in London
Arrange a landlord gas safety check for your London rental with All Service 4 U. Our Gas Safe registered engineers carry out landlord checks; our business registration number is 648977.
Same-day gas safety check appointments are available, subject to appointment availability. Our phone line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Have the property address, list of landlord-provided gas appliances, existing record and tenant access arrangements ready when you call.
Call to Arrange a Gas Safety Check: 020 3740 6785
020 3740 6785
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Gas Safety Check Include Radiators?
Ordinary water-filled radiators are not gas appliances, and the landlord gas safety check is not a radiator service. The gas boiler and its flue fall within the check, but radiator balancing, bleeding and heating-performance diagnosis are separate activities. A CP12 does not certify that every room heats effectively.
Can I Check a Gas Safety Certificate Online?
Checking an engineer’s registration online is separate from verifying an individual gas safety record. Obtain the record: ask the landlord or issuing business for the document. Check the engineer: verify the registered business and attending engineer, including the relevant appliance categories on their ID card. Registration alone does not prove that a particular inspection took place.
Is a Boiler Service the Same as a Gas Safety Certificate?
No. A boiler service is maintenance, while the landlord gas safety check examines the landlord-provided gas appliances and flues for safety. A service record alone does not establish that all required regulation 36 checks were completed. Equally, receiving a CP12 does not mean the boiler has been serviced according to its manufacturer’s instructions.
Can the CP12 and Boiler Service Be Done in One Visit?
Yes, we can arrange the landlord gas safety check and a boiler service in one visit, but they remain separate activities. Servicing the boiler does not remove the need to check other landlord-provided gas appliances and flues. Give us the full appliance list when arranging the combined visit so the required scope is clear.
What Does It Mean If an Appliance Is Labelled Unsafe?
An unsafe label requires action; the record still documents the checks and findings. Immediately Dangerous means immediate danger; At Risk means a fault could become dangerous. The engineer seeks permission to disconnect or turn off the appliance as appropriate, labels it and provides a warning notice. Follow that warning and arrange remedial work with a Gas Safe registered engineer. Do not use an appliance the engineer has told you is unsafe.
What Happens If the Landlord Lets the Certificate Lapse?
Missing the applicable safety-check deadline leaves the landlord in breach of the annual-check duty. Booking an appointment does not itself complete the check. Arrange the overdue inspection promptly and retain records showing the actual inspection dates. A later record documents the later check; it does not retrospectively fill the gap or create a general grace period.
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.