Gas safety certificate
What it really means
By law, landlords must have all gas appliances checked every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer and give tenants a copy of the certificate (CP12). If you have never seen one, ask for it — it is about your safety. Details on GOV.UK.
Context, tips & common mistakes
Landlords must have every gas appliance checked annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer and give tenants the record — at the start of the tenancy and within 28 days of each yearly check. No certificate on request is a serious warning sign, reportable to the council and the Health and Safety Executive. Carbon monoxide alarms are required in rooms with fixed combustion appliances; test yours, and buy a plug-in CO alarm yourself if coverage feels thin — carbon monoxide is odourless and annually lethal in badly maintained rentals.
Emergency knowledge, worth memorising before you need it: if you smell gas, open windows and doors, do not operate light switches or anything electrical, get out, and call the free 24-hour National Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999. Symptoms like unexplained headaches that lift when you leave the flat are the classic CO pattern — take them seriously.