Landlord Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) Explained

If you let out a property in England, Wales or Scotland with a gas boiler or any other gas appliance, you're legally required to have an annual gas safety check carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The certificate issued afterwards is commonly called a CP12, though its official name is a Landlord Gas Safety Record.

What it covers

The engineer checks that all gas appliances, fittings and flues you're responsible for are safe to use - correct operating pressure, adequate ventilation, safe flue operation, and general condition. You get a copy of the record, and you're required to give a copy to existing tenants within 28 days of the check, and to new tenants before they move in.

How often it's needed

Every 12 months, without exception - it doesn't matter whether the previous certificate expired last week or six months ago, it needs renewing annually.

What happens if it lapses

Beyond the safety risk itself, letting a certificate lapse is a legal compliance failure that can result in enforcement action, and can complicate things if you ever need to evict a tenant using a Section 21 notice, since an up-to-date gas safety record is one of the documents that must have been provided.

If the check flags a problem

Sometimes the annual check finds that the boiler itself needs attention or replacing, rather than just a routine pass. If you manage more than one property, it's usually easier to have one contractor handle renewals and any resulting work across all of them, rather than juggling different engineers per property.