Gas safety when you rent your home

Your landlord must arrange annual gas safety checks and do repairs to keep your home safe. If they refuse, you can report them.

If you smell gas or think there's a gas leak, call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999.

It’s free to call and available 24 hours a day.

Your landlord’s responsibilities

Maintenance and repairs

Your landlord must maintain and repair:

gas fittings
pipe work
any gas appliances they give you

Gas safety checks

Your landlord must arrange gas safety checks once a year.

Keeping gas appliances safe prevents fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning.

When a check is done, your landlord gets a gas safety record. When you move in, they must give you a copy of the existing record.

If safety checks are done while you're living there, your landlord must give you a copy of the record within 28 days.

Only a Gas Safe Registered installer can do gas safety checks, maintenance and repairs.

It’s dangerous for anyone else to do this, and it could be illegal.

If you’re concerned that someone doing gas work in your home is not registered, check the Gas Safe Register.

Carbon monoxide detectors

There must be a carbon monoxide detector in each room with a fuel-burning appliance, such as a gas fire or boiler. Your landlord is responsible for installing and maintaining it.

If your landlord has not done gas safety checks

Step 1: speak to your landlord informally

Ask your landlord for the gas safety certificate. It should say when checks were last done.

Step 2: if they do not give you the gas safety certificate

Ask your landlord to do a gas safety check in your home.

Copy and paste this sample text and personalise it with your details

Letter template: ask your landlord to do a gas safety check

Subject: Gas safety check at <your address>

To <your landlord’s name>

I asked for the gas safety certificate for <your address> on <date>.

Because you did not provide this, I'm concerned that a gas safety check has not been done.

I have read my rights on the Shelter Scotland website. A gas safety check should be done every year by a Gas Safe Registered installer. You must also give me a copy of the gas safety certificate within 28 days of the check being done.

If checks are not done annually, I can report this to the Health and Safety Executive.

<Tell your landlord about any issues you've noticed with gas safety here, such as a faulty boiler, gas fireplace or gas oven>

Please contact me within 2 working days to confirm when a gas safety check will be done.

Thank you

You can send the letter as an email attachment or through the post:

Word template: ask for a gas safety check (docx, 16 kb)
OpenDocument template: ask for a gas safety check (odt, 8 kb)

Step 3: if your landlord will not do gas safety checks

Report them to the Health and Safety Executive

You'll need to provide:

your contact details
details of the gas appliances in your home
your landlord's contact details if you have them
what you’ve done to get your landlord to do the checks

To find your landlord's details, check your tenancy agreement or search the Scottish Landlord Register.

If your landlord will not do repairs or provide a carbon monoxide detector

Follow our guidance on:

Your responsibilities

Report any gas problems or repairs as soon as possible.

Allow the Gas Safe Registered installer into your home to carry out work.

Be aware of gas safety

Check for danger signs around gas appliances. These include:

sooty marks
pilot lights that blow out often
excessive condensation on windows
yellow or orange flames instead of blue

Be aware of carbon monoxide poisoning. It can be caused by faulty appliances.

Check the NHS for symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning

Contact your doctor if you’ve been exposed to carbon monoxide.

Gas appliances you own

You’re responsible for repairs, maintenance and getting gas safety checks done.

Never carry out repairs or checks yourself. It’s dangerous and likely to be illegal.

Last updated: 24 July 2024