Landlord gas safety, in plain English.

The short version

Questions landlords actually ask

What is a Landlord Gas Safety Record, and is CP12 the same thing?

They are the same document. CP12 was the old form number and the name stuck; the legal term is a Landlord Gas Safety Record. It is a written record, produced by a Gas Safe registered engineer, of a safety check on each gas appliance and the flue serving it in a rented property.

How often does it have to be done?

Every twelve months. You can have the check done up to two months before the current record expires and keep the original renewal date, which is the sensible way to stop the date drifting later every year. A new tenancy does not reset the clock — the record still has to be less than twelve months old.

What do I have to give the tenant, and when?

A copy of the record goes to existing tenants within 28 days of the check, and to any new tenant at the start of their tenancy. For short holiday lets the record has to be displayed in the property. Keep copies for at least two years — you will want them if anything is ever disputed.

What counts as an appliance?

Anything gas-fired that you as the landlord provide: the boiler, a gas hob or cooker, a gas fire, a back boiler, a gas water heater. Appliances the tenant owns are not yours to check, but the pipework and any flue serving them still is. A typical house is two appliances — a boiler and a hob — which is exactly what the £99 + VAT price covers.

What does it cost here?

JET Heating charges £99 + VAT for a certificate covering two appliances, and £25 + VAT for each additional appliance. If you have several properties, book them together and they can be done in one run.

Is a safety check the same as a service?

No, and this is the most common misunderstanding. A safety check confirms an appliance is safe to use right now: it is not a service, and it will not clean anything or extend the appliance's life. A service is the maintenance work. Plenty of landlords sensibly have both done in the same visit — ask for the service price when you book the certificate.

What happens if an appliance fails the check?

It gets classified — At Risk or Immediately Dangerous — and, with your permission, turned off and labelled. You will be told exactly what it needs and what putting it right will cost before anything is stripped down. Nobody is served by a certificate issued on a boiler that should not be running, and a tenancy that starts with a dangerous appliance is a much larger problem than a delayed move-in.

Do I need a carbon monoxide alarm as well?

In England, rented homes must have a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance — which includes gas boilers and fires, and oil boilers too. They are cheap, they are your responsibility to fit and test at the start of a tenancy, and they are the single best value item in the whole compliance list.

I let a property with an oil boiler. Is that the same certificate?

No. Gas Safety Regulations cover gas appliances, so an oil boiler does not need a CP12. But you still have a duty to keep the installation in repair and in proper working order, and the sensible evidence of that is an annual OFTEC service with a record of it. JET Heating is OFTEC registered, so an oil service and a gas certificate for the same property can be done in one visit.

This page is general information about the rules as they apply to rented homes in England, written to be useful rather than to be legal advice. Where your situation is unusual — a flat with a communal boiler, a holiday let, a property in another UK nation — check the current guidance or ask and it can be looked up properly.