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.

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.

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.

Use our template letter to ask for a gas safety check

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:

• making a private landlord or letting agent do repairs

• making a council or housing association do repairs

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.