Under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, every consumer contract to supply a service includes a term that the trader must perform it with reasonable care and skill, and sections 54 to 56 set out what you can require if they do not.

Goods and services are treated separately

Our guide to boiler faults explains the Consumer Rights Act 2015 remedies for faulty goods. Installation, by contrast, is a service, and Part 1, Chapter 4 of the Act deals with services contracts. The legislation shows that these provisions extend to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so the rights described here apply UK-wide, although the courts and procedures for enforcing them differ between the nations.

The reasonable care and skill term

Section 49 says every contract to supply a service is to be treated as including a term that the trader must perform the service with reasonable care and skill. Section 49 does not itself set out technical standards; what is reasonable in a particular installation depends on the facts, which is one reason evidence such as photographs, commissioning records and independent engineer reports can matter. Safety concerns about gas work are handled through Gas Safe Register and the Health and Safety Executive, as our complaints guide explains.

Repeat performance

If the service does not conform, section 54 lists the consumer’s rights: to require repeat performance (section 55) and to a price reduction (section 56). Repeat performance means requiring the trader to perform the service again, to the extent needed to complete it in line with the contract. Under section 55 the trader must do so within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you, and must bear any necessary costs, including labour and materials. You cannot require repeat performance if completing the service in line with the contract is impossible, and what counts as a reasonable time or significant inconvenience depends on the nature of the service and its purpose.

Section 54 also gives a right to a price reduction in two further situations: where the trader breaches a term about information it gave that section 50 treats as part of the contract but which does not relate to the service itself, and where it breaches the requirement under section 52 to perform within a reasonable time.

Price reduction and refunds

Section 56 gives a right to require the trader to reduce the price by an appropriate amount, including a refund of anything you have already paid above the reduced amount, and the reduction may be the full price where appropriate. If you have both rights, you can go for a price reduction only where repeat performance is impossible, or where you asked for it and the trader failed to provide it within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience. A refund must be given without undue delay and in any event within 14 days of the trader agreeing you are entitled to it, using the same means of payment you used unless you agree otherwise, and without a fee.

Other remedies and contract terms

Section 54 also says these rights do not stop you seeking other remedies for breach, either instead of or as well as those rights, though you cannot recover twice for the same loss. It lists claiming damages, recovering money where the consideration for payment has failed, seeking specific performance or implement, relying on the breach against a claim by the trader, and treating the contract as at an end where that is open to you. Section 57 makes a term of a services contract non-binding to the extent it would exclude the trader’s liability under section 49, so a “no liability for workmanship” clause cannot remove your rights. Take legal advice before relying on these remedies in a dispute.

FAQs

Does this replace complaining to Gas Safe Register?

No. Gas Safe Register deals with the safety and competence of gas work, while the Consumer Rights Act rights concern the contract. They can be used together where an issue covers both.

Can I ask for a refund straight away?

Not necessarily. Section 56 generally allows a price reduction only if repeat performance is impossible or the trader has failed to provide it in time; other remedies in section 54 may be available depending on the facts.

Does the trader have to carry out the repeat work at its own cost?

Yes. Section 55 says the trader must bear any necessary costs of repeat performance, including labour and materials.

How quickly must the installer put things right?

Section 55 says repeat performance must be provided within a reasonable time and without significant inconvenience to you, and that what is reasonable is judged by the nature of the service and the purpose for which it was performed.

Bottom line

If the way your boiler was installed was not done with reasonable care and skill, the Consumer Rights Act lets you require the work to be redone at the trader’s cost or, in defined circumstances, a price reduction up to the full price, and the trader cannot contract out of that duty. Keep records, write to the installer setting out the defects and a reasonable deadline, and take advice before escalating. This is general information, not legal advice.

Sources

This guide draws on the following primary sources, current as of 20 September 2026:

• legislation.gov.uk, “Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49”
• legislation.gov.uk, “Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54”
• legislation.gov.uk, “Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 55”
• legislation.gov.uk, “Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 56”
• legislation.gov.uk, “Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 57”

Related guides

Best Boiler Deals is an independent guide. We may earn a fee from some links; this never affects what we write. This article is general information, not regulated advice on any specific installation — always confirm the details with a Gas Safe registered engineer.