Gas safety certificates for landlords
A plain-English summary of the landlord gas safety check, taken from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) landlord guidance.
Checked against official sources on 9 October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
The short version
- A Gas Safe registered engineer checks each gas appliance and flue every 12 months.
- Existing tenants get a copy of the record within 28 days of the check. New tenants get one before they move in.
- Keep each record for at least two years. If you use the early-check rule, keep it until two further checks have been done.
How often
Gas appliances and flues in a rented home must be checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The engineer then issues a gas safety record (often called a landlord gas safety certificate).
You can have the check done up to two months before it is due and keep the original deadline. To use this, you need to be able to show you met the required timescales, and the record has to be kept until two further checks have been done.
What the record must show
HSE says the record must describe and locate each appliance or flue checked, and show the engineer’s name, registration number and signature, the date of the check, the property address, and the landlord’s (or agent’s) name and address.
Any safety defect found, and the action taken to fix it, must also be noted.
Who gets a copy, and when
Existing tenants: a copy of the latest record within 28 days of the check being completed.
New tenants: a copy before they move in.
How long to keep it
HSE says: “You have to keep records for at least two years.” If you used the two-month early check, keep the record until two further gas safety checks have been carried out.
Check the official pages
Certlog stores each property’s gas safety record, shows the next due date, and emails you before it lapses. Free for 14 days, then £8.99 a month or £79 a year.
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