Gas safety checks: landlords, workplaces, and what the law actually says
The annual gas safety check is a landlord duty; workplaces have a different one. Here is what the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 require of each, what the record must contain, and how long to keep it.
"It needs its annual CP12" is said about every kind of building, but the law is more specific. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 put different duties on landlords of residential property and on employers, and only one of them sets a fixed annual check. Knowing which applies tells you what the client is legally required to have, and what is good practice you can offer on top.
Landlords: an annual check, by law
Regulation 36 requires landlords of residential property to have each gas appliance and flue they provide checked for safety by a Gas Safe registered engineer within 12 months of installation and at intervals of no more than 12 months after that. It covers houses, flats, HMOs and other lets, including residential property managed by a commercial client, such as staff accommodation or a flat above a shop.
| Landlord duty | What it means |
|---|---|
| Check every 12 months | Each appliance and flue, by a Gas Safe registered engineer |
| Keep the record for 2 years | At least two years; longer if checks are moved earlier (below) |
| Give tenants a copy | Existing tenants within 28 days of the check; new tenants before they move in |
| Check up to 2 months early | Since 2018, a check done up to two months before the due date keeps the original anniversary |
What the landlord gas safety record must contain
The record, still often called a CP12 after an old form, can be on any form or software, as long as it includes:
- A description and the location of each appliance or flue checked
- The engineer's name, Gas Safe registration number and signature
- The date of the check and the address of the property
- The name and address of the landlord or their agent
- Any safety defect found and the remedial action taken
- Confirmation that the check covered the matters regulation 26(9) requires
Workplaces: maintained in a safe condition
Regulation 35 requires every employer and self-employed person to make sure any gas appliance, installation pipework or flue at a place of work under their control is maintained in a safe condition so as to prevent risk of injury. It sets no fixed interval. In practice, annual servicing and safety checks are the norm, because manufacturers' instructions, insurers and HSE guidance all point that way, and an annual record is the simplest way to show the duty was met.
When a check finds something
The Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure sorts what an engineer finds into categories. Immediately Dangerous means the appliance is disconnected there and then, with the owner's permission, and labelled. At Risk means it is turned off and labelled not to use until it is fixed. Either way, the client is told in writing on the day, and the fix is remedial work to quote.
How PPMdesk handles it
Each site's gas service is a plan, annual or at whatever interval the client's contract sets, and each visit becomes a job 90 days before it is due. PPMdesk comes with a boiler service and gas safety job sheet: flue flow and spillage tests, ventilation, working gas pressure, combustion analysis (CO, CO2 and the ratio), and an outcome of safe to use, at risk or immediately dangerous, with a photo of the analyser reading. Only engineers with a Gas Safe registration in date on the visit day are suggested for the job. How planned maintenance works in PPMdesk.
Frequently asked questions
Is an annual gas safety check a legal requirement for businesses?
Not as a fixed interval. Regulation 35 requires employers to keep gas appliances, pipework and flues at their workplaces maintained in a safe condition. Annual servicing is the usual way to meet that and show it, but the fixed annual check in regulation 36 applies to landlords of residential property.
Is a CP12 still a thing?
CP12 is an old name for what HSE now calls the landlord gas safety record. Gas Safe Register doesn't issue its own form; any form or software that records what regulation 36 requires will do.
How long must a landlord keep gas safety records?
At least two years. If checks are done up to two months early to keep the anniversary date, keep each record until two further checks have been done.
How soon must a tenant get a copy?
Existing tenants within 28 days of the check. New tenants before they move in.
- HSE: gas safety check records and what to keep
- Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Part F (legislation.gov.uk)
Checked on 5 November 2026. If anything here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
