Landlords’ gas safety record checks: what you need to know
What gas engineers must carry out during a landlord’s gas safety check, what’s best practice, and how to fill in the record correctly. This article appears in the January-February 2026 issue of Registered Gas Engineer magazine.
What qualifications do I need to complete a LGSR?
You must hold all relevant appliance qualifications to enable you to carry out the relevant 26(9) checks for all appliances requested to be tested, by the landlord, at the property.
A visual inspection only is NOT satisfactory.
For example, if you are requested to complete a LGSR that includes a fire, you will need the additional HTR1 qualification to be able to carry out the checks specified. The same principle applies to all appliances.
What checks must I make?
Regulation 36 of the GSIUR clearly states the minimum work that must be carried out during a landlord’s gas safety check and the information that must be captured so that the check complies with the regulations.
Within the regulations, 26(9) sets out the checks that shall be carried out:
• Visual inspection of the gas installation, appliance(s) location, terminal, chimney/ flue route/position and signs of incomplete combustion
• Appliance operating pressure or heat input, or both where necessary. If it is not reasonably practicable to carry out either of these checks, then you can rely on the combustion analysis
• Ventilation is clear and sufficiently sized, etc
• Flue flow and spillage testing where appropriate for correct operation of flue
• All flame supervision devices and/or other safety controls for correct operation
• Investigate any evidence of unsafe operation of appliances.
You must take all reasonable steps to notify any defects to the landlord or responsible person. Follow Section 6, dealing with unsafe situations in IGEM/G/11.
What other checks should I carry out?
It is recommended that you carryout a tightness test, but this is not a legal requirement.
You should also check the gas meter/emergency control valve for accessibility in an emergency, for maintenance and for correct labelling.
Where specified in the appliance manufacturer’s servicing and maintenance instructions, combustion
gas analysis should also be carried out.
What information must be recorded?
- The date on which the appliance or chimney/flue was checked
- The address of the premises at which the appliance or flue is installed
- The name and address of the landlord or agent at which the appliance or chimney/flue are installed
- A description of the location of each appliance or chimney/flue that has been checked
- Any gas safety issues identified and any remedial action taken
- This record must be retained until two further checks of the appliance or chimney/flue have been made or, if an appliance or flue has been removed from the premises, the record must be kept for a period of two years from the date of the last check
- Confirmation that all safety details are recorded and comply with (but are not limited to) Regulation 26(9) GSIUR
- Your name, signature and registration number.
What about tenants’ own appliances?
It is not a requirement to record a tenant’s own appliance on a LGSR.
If a landlord requests a tenant’s appliances are recorded on a LGSR, a visual inspection only should be carried out and no further checks are required. Where a visual inspection only is carried out on tenant’s own appliance, record ‘N/A’ in the ‘safe to use’ section on the LGSR.
Do not enter ‘YES’ because this assumes you have performed full 26(9) checks and do not enter ‘NO’
because it could indicate there is a safety issue.
Visual checks alone cannot confirm that an appliance or installation is safe to use.
If a visual inspection of a tenant’s appliance finds it to be AR or ID, then ‘NO’ should be recorded in the ‘safe to use’ section on the LGSR and all safety defects added. Follow the Unsafe Situations Procedure, IGEM/G/11.
What if an appliance is unsafe (AR/ID)?
A LGSR is a record of your findings when you attend that property and should always be issued once all relevant checks have taken place. If an appliance is found to be At Risk or Immediately Dangerous, you should follow IGEM/G/11.
The appliance, defect and any remedial action taken or required should be recorded on the LGSR and you should make the landlord aware of any safety defects.
It is recommended that landlords should keep a copy of all remedial work done to rectify defects with the LGSR.
How do I record defects?
You should only record defects that are gas safety issues. These are situations that are classified as At Risk or Immediately Dangerous, in accordance with IGEM/G/11.
Defects that are not related to gas safety should be communicated either verbally or via a job report or invoice but NOT added to the defects on the gas safety record. This is because doing so could potentially confuse the responsible person over what is safe and what is unsafe.
What if I start a check but find an appliance on which I’m not qualified to work?
You can only complete a LGSR for the appliances for which you hold the relevant qualifications. In this instance, another gas engineer holding relevant qualifications for the remaining appliance/s would need to complete another LGSR.
Do I need to complete a new record if I fit a new appliance?
No. If a gas safety record is currently in place covering the existing landlord’s appliances, the record is still valid.
As an example, let’s say the landlord has a boiler, cooker and a fire in a rented property. All appliances are owned by the landlord, so they are covered under Regulation 36.
The gas safety record check was completed in January but the landlord asks you to fit a new boiler in March. When you install the new appliance, you have a duty of care to carry out a visual inspection on the other gas appliances in that property, as per the table on minimum visual checks, to ensure their safe operation.
After installing the boiler, the property’s cooker and fire are due to be tested and checked the following January, and the boiler in March. However, GSIUR does provide one-off flexibility to re-align the safety check the following January, with all three appliances on the same record.
Note: This can only apply to one appliance and the maximum period that the safety check can be extended is two months.
How often should installation pipework be maintained?
Landlords have a duty to maintain the gas pipework in their properties. This is a separate and distinct duty from the annual safety check but can and should be undertaken at the same time.
There is no formal or legal requirement to keep pipework maintenance records. However, landlords would need to prove, if asked, that they have regularly maintained installation pipework from the meter – or emergency control valve in the case of an LPG installation – to the appliance, and have completed any required repairs.
If an internal meter outlet has been capped, what are the landlord’s responsibilities?
Landlords still have a duty to maintain the installation pipework. This may include scheduled visits to check the meter installation for safety. No LGSR is required for the property.
Does a communal heating system in a block of flats require a LGSR?
Yes, it comes under Regulation 36 and a LGSR for the communal heating system should be displayed
on a notice board in a central area.
What if I suspect there has been tampering or theft of gas?
If you believe a gas meter has been tampered with or there has been theft of gas, you must follow the guidance in IGEM/G/11 if you consider it to be a safety defect and report it to the responsible person or landlord.
What should I do if the tenant won’t allow access to the property?
It is the responsibility of the landlord to show they took all reasonable steps to comply with the law. The HSE provides guidance on landlords on what steps they should take, which includes:
• Making sure they keep a record of all correspondence
with their tenants
• Leave the tenant a notice stating that an attempt was made to complete the gas safety check and providing their contact details
• Write to the tenant explaining that a safety check is a legal requirement and that it is for the tenant’s own safety. Give the tenant the opportunity to arrange their own appointment.
Keep the expiry date
Landlords can arrange for gas safety checks to be carried out any time 10-12 calendar months after the previous gas safety check but still retain the original date as if the check had been carried out exactly 12 months after the previous check – much in the same way as car MOTs.
The expiry date on a landlord’s gas safety record must be preserved for 12 months, even when the check has been carried out earlier than this. The Register is aware that, in some instances, gas engineers carrying out a check a month before 12 months have elapsed are then incorrectly filling in the expiry date on ‘next gas safety check due before’ as just a month later, rather than 13 months ahead.
Gas Safe Register says: “Where the gas safety check is carried out less than 10 months or more than 12 months after the previous gas safety check, this will have the effect of ‘resetting the clock’ and the new deadline date will now be 12 months from the date of this latest gas safety check.”
Some record pads include a facility to capture “next due date”. There is no legal requirement for this date to be added to the record but if a landlord wishes it to be filled in with the following year’s date, you should inspect the previous record to confirm the date on which last year’s record was completed.
The Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998 (GSIUR) give guidance on the minimum information that should be recorded and what tests should be undertaken.