Take a look at our most frequently asked questions. If your enquiry is not listed, please use the menu tabs or search bar above for more information about the subject you’re looking for.
General Questions
Gas Safe Register conducts public awareness campaigns to make gas consumers aware of the risks of unsafe and illegal gas work, and of other dangers such as carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. It is the co-ordinating body for the annual industry-wide Gas Safety Week campaign.
If you wish to check that a particular business is registered you can search by their business trading name or Gas Safe registration number. To check an individual engineer you will need to know their current 7-digit licence card number. If you cannot find one suitably qualified in your area you can call 0800 408 5500 and speak to an advisor.
When a business becomes registered they are issued with a unique Gas Safe registration number (1-6 digits). Each business employs one or more gas engineers. Every engineer is issued with their own ID card for that business, which includes a unique 9 digit licence number that allows you to confirm their registration and qualifications by using our check an engineer web service.
A new licence card is issued annually and the engineer’s licence number will change each time a new card is issued.
- Domestic (homes) and non-domestic (Businesses and factories)
- LPG and natural gas
- Different areas of gas work e.g. boilers, cookers, fire etc. You can find out what an engineer is qualified to do using our check an engineer service and by looking on the back of their Gas Safe ID card.
Gas Safe Register will investigate complaints that fall within its remit and authority to ensure that any work carried out by the registered engineer/business satisfies the rules of registration and meets appropriate installation standards. Gas Safe Register will provide you with a written report of the findings. In order to make this process as effective as possible and get the work corrected efficiently, the registered business/engineer concerned will be asked to attend the investigation inspection (subject to your consent).
Where work is identifed which falls below the expected standards of registration Gas Safe Register will issue formal notice to the business/engineer to correct the issues that have been identified which are attributable to the business carrying out the work within an expected timescale. You will be made aware of this also.
Failure to correct any installation/defects attributable to the business concerned will attract sanctions against the registered business/engineer in accordance with Gas Safe Register Sanctions Policy.
If you have had gas work done in the last six months and would like it to be considered for inspection, please complete the safety inspections request form online or contact Customer Services on 0800 408 5500.
Unfortunately, Gas Safe Register are unable to inspect every installation nominated, but if you've been selected for an inspection you will be contacted within six months of the installation date to arrange a convenient date and time. The business who completed the work will also be invited to attend.
- Gas appliances are on the right setting and burning correctly with the correct operating pressure
- Harmful gases are being removed from the appliance safely to the air outside
- That any ventilation routes are clear and adequate
- All the safety devices are working properly
A service will consist of a full check of a gas appliance and - in addition to the above checks - the registered engineer will dismantle the appliance to inspect and clean it. The engineer will assess the physical condition of the appliance, installation pipework, air vents and any flues for deterioration. They will carry out performance tests to ensure the appliance is operating safely and efficiently and take any necessary remedial action, alerting you to any issues.
Building Regulations Compliance Certification (England & Wales)
This is the responsibility of your registered engineer and can be done by them either online or by telephone.
Once you have received your certificate keep this safe as you may need it should you decide to move home. Find out more information on Building Regulations.
You can check online to see if your engineer has notified your gas installation. If the work has not been notified you will need to contact your registered business/engineer and ask them to notify the work to ensure compliance with the Building Regulations. Once the work has been notified the certificate will be posted out within 10 working days. If the work has been notified and you have not received your certificate within 10 working days of the notification being made, you can call Customer Services on 0800 408 5500. Find out more information on Building Regulations.
To request a duplicate certificate you can call Customer Services on 0800 408 5500. Replacement certificates from Gas Safe Register are only available for installations completed after 1 April 2009.
Replacement certificates for appliances installed before 1 April 2009 may be available from the previous registration body CORGI. They can be contacted on 01256 548040. Find out more information on Building Regulations.
Landlords and Letting Agents
• pipe work, appliances and flues provided for tenants are maintained in a safe condition;
• that all appliances and flues that are provided by the landlord for their tenants use are checked for safety by a Gas Safe registered engineer annually;
• that all gas appliances provided by the landlord for their tenants use are maintained by a Gas Safe registered engineer (normally manufacturers recommend annual maintenance for their appliances) and all gas equipment (including any appliance left by a previous tenant) is safe or otherwise removed before re-letting;
• they provide a documented record of safety checks (landlords gas safety record) to the tenant within 28 days of completing the check or to any new tenant before they move in;
• they keep a copy of safety check documents for a specified period. Advice on landlords duties are contained in HSE's guidance to landlords and letting agents found on the HSE website.
Additionally, you have a legal requirement to maintain gas appliances, flues/chimneys and pipework in a safe condition. For appliances this normally means annual servicing. Both aspects must be carried out by a suitably qualified Gas Safe registered engineer.
Details of the type of work that an engineer is registered to carry out can be found using our check an engineer service online or by checking the back of the engineer’s Gas Safe Register ID card or by calling us on 0800 408 5500.
A common method of providing a record of safety checks is using a ‘landlord gas safety record’. These are sometimes referred to as a ‘Gas Safety Certificate’ or ‘CP12’ form. The record of a gas safety check must contain the following information:
• a description of and the location of each gas appliance or flue checked;
• the name, Gas Safe registration number and signature of the engineer carrying out the checks (an electronic signature is acceptable);
• the date on which the appliance(s) or flue(s) were checked;
• the address of the property at which the appliance(s) or flue(s) are installed;
• the name and address of the landlord (or your agent where appropriate);
• any gas safety defect identified and any remedial action taken by the registered engineer;
• confirmation that the safety checks completed complied with the requirements of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GB and Isle of Man) and Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 2004 (Northern Ireland).
Our landlords page contains further information regarding the responsibility of the landlord and the landlord’s gas safety record.
• make sure that the management contract between the property owner and yourselves clearly defines who is responsible for making arrangements for maintenance and safety checks on gas equipment and for keeping associated records;
• ensure gas appliances and flues are safety checked within the legal timescales required;
• ensure appliances, flues and pipework are maintained in a safe condition and if defects are found, take appropriate action to ensure gas safety;
• keep records that are required by law;
• make sure that maintenance and safety checks on gas appliances, fittings and flues provided for tenants use are only carried out by a suitably qualified Gas Safe registered engineer.
In addition, on 1 Oct 2015 the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 came into force. From that date, private rented sector landlords have been required to have at least one smoke alarm installed on every floor of their properties and a CO alarm in any room where solid fuel is used.
After that, the landlord must make sure the alarms are in working order at the start of each new tenancy. In Scotland, the Scottish Building Standards have required the installation of a CO alarm whenever a new gas appliance is installed – with the exception of cooking appliances. In 2014, a change was made to the Housing (Scotland) Act and which took effect from the 1st December 2015. This means that private landlords must ensure that a detection system is installed in all dwellings they rent to tenants where there is:
• a fixed combustion appliance (excluding an appliance used solely for cooking) in the dwelling or;
• a fixed combustion appliance in an inter-connected space, for example, an integral garage;
• a combustion appliance necessarily located in a bathroom (advice would be to locate it elsewhere)
The CO alarm should be sited outside the room as close to the appliance as possible but allowing for the effect humid air might have on the detector when the bathroom door is open. This applies to ALL fuels.
Northern Ireland has since 31st October 2012 required CO alarms to be installed when a new gas appliance is fitted. There is no current information regarding further changes. This requirement is from Technical Document L of the Building Regulations in Northern Ireland which has been amended to cover protection against CO and states: “Where a combustion appliance is installed in a dwelling, reasonable provision shall be made to detect and give warning of the presence of CO gas at levels harmful to people.”
Before purchasing a CO alarm, always ensure it complies with British Standard EN 50291 and carries a British or European approval mark, such as a Kitemark. Standards for the performance of CO alarms have become more stringent over recent years and so older alarms may not react as quickly as newer alarms. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations about how you should fit and test your alarm to ensure that the unit and the batteries are in good condition.
If a flue is inaccessible or the hatches are not positioned correctly or of adequate size to allow the entire flue to be inspected, the engineer will classify the appliance as ‘At Risk’ and apply a ‘Danger Do Not Use’ label to the appliance.
