Gas safety certificate cost 2026: prices and what is checked

How much does a gas safety certificate cost?

A gas safety certificate cost is typically £60 to £90 for a boiler and a hob, according to Home Checkup’s price guide (updated January 2026). The same guide puts London at £80 to £120 and says each extra appliance, such as a gas fire, adds £10 to £20. Fantastic Services’ 2026 guide gives £85 to £120 for a boiler and one other appliance in London and the South East.

There is no fixed fee. HSE says the Gas Safe Register has no control over what engineers charge, and advises getting quotes from three different engineers before hiring one.

The landlord gas safety certificate cost in the table is for the check and the record. Repairs, parts and a boiler service are extra unless the quote says they are included. Both guides are published by companies with a commercial interest, so use them as a rough range.

Sources: HSE: domestic gas safety frequently asked questions

What is a gas safety certificate, or CP12?

Gas safety certificate and CP12 are everyday names for the landlord’s gas safety check record. HSE’s guidance uses neither name. It calls the document the gas safety check record. Whatever the engineer calls it, it is the written record of the annual check that the law requires.

HSE says the record must show, as a minimum: a description and the location of each appliance and flue checked, the engineer’s name, registration number and signature, the date of the check, the address of the property, the landlord’s (or agent’s) name and address, any safety defect found and the action taken to put it right, and confirmation that the check covered the points the regulations require.

This page is about the price and the visit. The landlord’s legal duties, including maintenance between checks, are covered in our guide to landlord gas safety certificates. This page is written for landlords in England.

Sources: HSE: gas safety check records and what to keep · Legislation: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36

Who needs a landlord gas safety certificate?

Any landlord who provides gas appliances or flues for a tenant’s use needs an annual check and a record of it. HSE defines a landlord as anyone who rents out a property they own under a lease shorter than seven years or under a licence. Rented holiday accommodation is included: HSE’s list covers chalets, cottages, flats, caravans and narrow boats on inland waterways.

Using a letting agent does not remove the duty by itself. HSE says that where the management contract specifies that the agent has the responsibility, the same duties apply to the agent, so check what your contract says and who is booking the engineer. Before you re-let a property after tenants have left, HSE says you need to make sure all appliances and flues are safe and have an up-to-date gas safety check record.

Sources: HSE: gas safety, landlords and letting agents

What is checked in a gas safety check?

The check covers every gas appliance and flue the landlord provides. For each appliance the regulations require the engineer to examine four things: the effectiveness of any flue, the supply of combustion air, the operating pressure or heat input (or the combustion performance where those cannot reasonably be measured), and the appliance’s operation so as to ensure it works safely.

A safety check is not a service. HSE says you should not assume an annual service includes the points required by a safety check, and should not assume that a safety check is enough to provide effective maintenance. Landlords have both duties, so ask what a combined visit includes.

If a tenant has their own gas appliance that you did not provide, HSE says you are responsible for parts of the associated installation and pipework but not for the appliance itself.

Sources: Legislation: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 26 · HSE: gas safety, landlords and letting agents

How long does a gas safety check take?

A gas safety check takes about 30 to 60 minutes for a typical property with a boiler and a gas hob or fire, according to Fantastic Services’ 2026 guide. More appliances take longer. HSE does not give a time.

Most delay comes from access, not the check itself. If a tenant does not let the engineer in, HSE says its inspectors will look for at least three attempts to complete the check, with the approach suited to the circumstances. Keep a copy of every letter and message.

• Book the visit inside the two months before the due date, so the anniversary does not move.
• Give the tenant written notice of the appointment and keep a copy.
• Check the engineer on the Gas Safe Register before the visit and note their registration number.
• Ask the tenant to clear access to the boiler, the meter and each gas appliance.
• Read the record before the engineer leaves and ask what any defect means and what must be done.
• Give the tenant a copy within 28 days and note the date you did. Our landlord certificates checklist lists the other documents with deadlines.

Sources: HSE: gas safety, landlords and letting agents

How to check an engineer on the Gas Safe Register

Check the engineer’s Gas Safe ID card before any work starts. HSE says all Gas Safe registered engineers carry an ID card, and the card tells you which appliances that engineer is qualified to work on. Being registered is not enough: the engineer must be qualified for the type of appliance in your property.

You can confirm the registration on the Gas Safe Register website or by phoning the Register on 0800 408 5500. HSE strongly encourages consumers to check the ID card before letting anyone begin work.

Sources: HSE: domestic gas safety frequently asked questions

The 10 to 12 month renewal window that keeps your date

You can have the annual check done up to two months before it is due and still keep the original deadline date. HSE describes this as retaining the date as if the check had been carried out exactly 12 months after the previous one. The rule was added by the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 and sits in regulation 36A.

In practice, if a check is due by the end of September, a visit in August or September counts as done on the due date, and the next one is due by the end of the following September. A check done more than two months early does not get that treatment: the next check is due within 12 months of the day it was actually done, so you lose time.

Regulation 36A also allows a one-off move for each appliance to line up the check dates of several appliances in the same property. Ask your engineer before relying on it. Nothing in the regulations lets a check run late: the limit is intervals of not more than 12 months.

Sources: HSE: gas safety check records and what to keep · Legislation: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36A · Legislation: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36

How to keep the cost of a gas safety check down

Start with HSE’s advice and get three quotes, making sure each one is for the same number of appliances. Ask whether the price includes the written record and whether there is a charge for a second visit if the tenant is out.

Two things can help. Both published guides price the check and a boiler service together as a single visit, and Home Checkup describes that as the best value. And using the two-month early window lets you choose a date that suits the engineer and the tenant, so you are not paying for an urgent appointment in the last week. If you have several properties near each other, ask for a price for doing them on the same day.

Sources: HSE: domestic gas safety frequently asked questions · HSE: gas safety check records and what to keep

Copies, records and the penalty for not having one

Give existing tenants a copy of the record within 28 days of the check, and give new tenants a copy before they move in. HSE says to keep records for at least two years. If you use the early-renewal window, the record must be kept until two further checks have been carried out. Where a let is for less than 28 days, the regulations allow the record to be displayed prominently in the property instead.

Letting a property without a current check is a criminal matter. HSE’s words to landlords are that you are putting lives at risk and breaking the law, and that this could result in a substantial fine, a custodial sentence, or both.

Gas is one of several safety jobs with their own dates. See also what an EICR costs, the rule on carbon monoxide alarms in rooms with a boiler or fire, and the checklist for becoming a landlord. TenancyDesk keeps the due date on the property record and emails you before it arrives.

Sources: HSE: gas safety check records and what to keep · HSE: gas safety, landlords and letting agents · GOV.UK: your landlord’s safety responsibilities

Common questions