Landlords in Great Britain must have every gas appliance they supply checked annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and give tenants the resulting safety record within set deadlines. Missing those deadlines is a criminal offence enforced by the HSE, and in England it can also invalidate a Section 21 eviction notice.

What “CP12” actually refers to

This article covers landlord gas safety obligations in Great Britain under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. It is general information, not legal advice – if you’re a landlord, check the current detailed requirements with the HSE or a qualified adviser.

Landlords and tenants often refer to a landlord’s gas safety check informally as a “CP12,” which comes from an older industry form reference. The current, correct term for the document a landlord must provide is a Gas Safety Record (sometimes called a Landlord Gas Safety Record), but if you hear “CP12” mentioned, this is what people mean – the annual safety check record for gas appliances, pipework and flues in a rented property.

What the law actually requires

Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, landlords in Great Britain must have every gas appliance and flue that they own and that serves the rented property checked for safety by a Gas Safe registered engineer at least once every 12 months. This isn’t limited to boilers – it covers any gas appliance the landlord has supplied, such as gas fires, gas cookers if provided by the landlord, and gas water heaters, along with associated pipework and flues. A tenant’s own gas appliance that they brought with them and installed themselves generally sits outside the landlord’s direct responsibility for the appliance itself, though flues and pipework serving it may still be relevant – if you’re unsure where the line falls in a specific situation, check with a Gas Safe registered engineer or the HSE’s guidance directly.

Giving the record to tenants: specific deadlines apply

It isn’t enough to just have the check done – landlords are required to give a copy of the current gas safety record to existing tenants within 28 days of the check being carried out, and to give a copy to a new tenant before they move into the property. Landlords are also required to keep copies of gas safety records for a minimum period – generally the last two years’ worth of records – so they can be produced if needed.

Why this matters beyond just compliance

Failing to meet these requirements is a criminal offence, enforced by the Health and Safety Executive, and can result in prosecution, with penalties including a fine and, in the most serious cases, imprisonment. There’s also a specific practical consequence for landlords in England worth knowing about directly: a valid gas safety record generally has to have been provided to the tenant before a landlord can serve a valid Section 21 “no fault” eviction notice under an assured shorthold tenancy – if it wasn’t provided correctly, the Section 21 notice can be invalid, regardless of how straightforward the rest of the case might otherwise be. This specific rule relates to England’s tenancy system; Scotland and Wales have different tenancy frameworks, without a direct equivalent to England’s Section 21 process, so this particular consequence doesn’t translate directly across all three nations even though the underlying gas safety check requirement applies across Great Britain.

Who can carry out the check

Only a Gas Safe registered engineer can legally carry out a landlord gas safety check, and they need to be registered for the specific type of work and appliance involved – the same point that applies to installing or servicing any gas appliance. Always ask to see the engineer’s Gas Safe ID card and check it covers the relevant type of work before they start, rather than assuming any tradesperson describing themselves as a “gas engineer” is appropriately registered.

Practical checklist for landlords

• Book the annual gas safety check with enough lead time that it doesn’t lapse past the 12-month point;
• Confirm the engineer is Gas Safe registered for the relevant appliance types before the visit;
• Provide the record to existing tenants within 28 days, and to new tenants before they move in;
• Keep at least the last two years of records on file;
• If you’re in England and may need to serve a Section 21 notice at any point, make sure your gas safety paperwork is genuinely in order well before that becomes relevant.

What tenants should do with the record once they get it

Keep a copy somewhere you can find it, and check the date on it rather than assuming it’s automatically been renewed each year – you’re entitled to ask your landlord or letting agent for the current record if you haven’t received one recently, or if you’re not sure whether the last check has actually happened. If a landlord is unresponsive about providing a gas safety record, or you have any reason to suspect gas appliances in the property haven’t been checked, you can raise it directly with the landlord in writing first, and escalate to the local council’s private housing team or the HSE if it isn’t resolved – gas safety isn’t a matter to let slide because of an awkward conversation with a landlord.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms: a related but separate landlord duty

Alongside the gas safety check itself, landlords in England have separate legal duties around smoke alarms on every storey used as living accommodation, and carbon monoxide alarms in rooms containing certain fuel-burning appliances. These requirements come from different regulations to the gas safety check itself, but they’re worth mentioning together because they form part of the same overall picture of a landlord’s fire and gas safety obligations – a property can be compliant on its annual gas safety check and still fall short on alarm requirements, so don’t treat one as covering the other.

Frequently asked questions

How often must a landlord gas safety check happen?

At least once every 12 months, for every gas appliance and flue the landlord owns and that serves the rented property, carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

How quickly must a landlord give tenants the gas safety record?

Within 28 days of the check for existing tenants, and before a new tenant moves in. Landlords must also keep copies of records for a minimum of the last two years.

Can a missing gas safety record affect a Section 21 eviction notice?

Yes, in England. A valid gas safety record generally has to have been provided to the tenant before a landlord can serve a valid Section 21 “no fault” eviction notice – if it wasn’t provided correctly, the notice can be invalid.

Sources

• Health and Safety Executive – landlords: gas safety responsibilities
• GOV.UK – renting out your property: gas safety
• Gas Safe Register

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