How often do gas appliances need a safety check?
- 3tasks
- 8sources
- checked on
- Englandscope
Landlords must have every gas appliance and flue they provide checked for safety at least every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer. In workplaces the law requires gas appliances to be kept in a safe condition without fixing an interval: regular maintenance, normally at least once a year, is the accepted practice.
What to do, and how often
| Task | How often | Who | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas safety check of every appliance and flue provided by the landlord, with a record Applies to: Rented residential accommodation, including communal appliances serving it | Every year | Landlord, using a Gas Safe registered engineer | Law Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 requires a safety check at intervals of not more than 12 months. SourcesS1S2S3 |
| Service gas appliances and flues Applies to: Landlords' appliances, where the manufacturer's instructions are not available | Every year | Gas Safe registered engineer | Guidance HSE says appliances should be serviced in line with the manufacturer's instructions and, if these are not available, recommends annual servicing. SourcesS4 |
| Planned maintenance and safety checks of gas appliances, pipework and flues Applies to: Workplaces and other non-domestic premises | Every yearNo legal interval; at least annually is accepted good practice | Employer or person in control, using a Gas Safe registered engineer | Guidance Regulation 35 requires workplace gas appliances to be kept in a safe condition but sets no interval. HSE guidance in L56 says effective maintenance usually involves an ongoing programme of regular inspections, and Department for Education guidance calls at least annual checks good practice. SourcesS5S6S7S8 |
Where a row says who or what it applies to, the task is for that case only.
The law
Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 requires landlords to have gas appliances and flues checked for safety at intervals of not more than 12 months and to keep and issue a record. Regulation 35 requires every employer to ensure that gas appliances, installation pipework and flues at places of work they control are maintained in a safe condition; it does not set an interval.
The standard
No British Standard sets the legal interval. HSE's Approved Code of Practice L56 (fifth edition, 2018) gives the regulator's guidance on meeting the regulations.
Records to keep
- Landlord's gas safety record for each check, kept until two further checks have been carried out (at least two years)
- Proof that tenants received the record within 28 days
- Service and maintenance reports for workplace appliances and plant
- The engineer's Gas Safe registration details for the type of work
Notes
For landlords, the annual check is a legal requirement. For workplaces, the annual figure is good practice, not law: the legal test is that appliances are kept in a safe condition, and manufacturers' instructions may set a different period.
HSE notes that installation pipework is not covered by the annual landlord's check and recommends asking the engineer to test it for soundness at the same visit.
Who delivers this in the group
Not a group service
This is not delivered by an AMPM Group company. It is listed because building managers need the whole picture.
Questions people ask
Gas appliance safety checks: which tasks are legal requirements?
1 task on this page rests on legislation: gas safety check of every appliance and flue provided by the landlord, with a record (every year; rented residential accommodation, including communal appliances serving it). The other 2 tasks are recommended by guidance, and are not legal requirements in themselves.
Gas appliance safety checks: who should carry out each task?
Landlord, using a Gas Safe registered engineer: gas safety check of every appliance and flue provided by the landlord, with a record. Gas Safe registered engineer: service gas appliances and flues. Employer or person in control, using a Gas Safe registered engineer: planned maintenance and safety checks of gas appliances, pipework and flues.
Gas appliance safety checks: what records should you keep?
Keep these records: landlord's gas safety record for each check, kept until two further checks have been carried out (at least two years); proof that tenants received the record within 28 days; service and maintenance reports for workplace appliances and plant; the engineer's Gas Safe registration details for the type of work.
Sources
Every task and legal statement is supported by at least one source fetched over HTTPS and read on the date shown. Quotes are verbatim and 25 words or fewer. A second, independent verification pass re-fetched every source and re-read the legislation on 5 October 2026. Intervals taken from British Standards were checked against published summaries of those standards by trade bodies and government guidance, because the standards themselves are paid publications.
-
Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36: Duties of landlords ↗
legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives) · Revised text, as amended in 2018 · read on
“at intervals of not more than 12 months since it was last checked for safety”
Supports: Landlords' legal duty: safety check at intervals of not more than 12 months
-
Landlords: Gas safety checks, what needs them? ↗
Health and Safety Executive · Page as shown on 5 October 2026 · read on
“All permanent and portable gas appliances and flues in the property require an annual gas safety check.”
Supports: HSE: annual gas safety check of all appliances and flues the landlord provides
-
Landlords: Gas safety check records and what to keep ↗
Health and Safety Executive · Page as shown on 5 October 2026 · read on
“You must provide existing tenants with a copy of the gas safety check record within 28 days of the check being completed.”
Supports: Record to be given to existing tenants within 28 days
-
Landlords: Maintenance of gas appliances and flues ↗
Health and Safety Executive · Page as shown on 5 October 2026 · read on
“we recommend that they are serviced annually, unless your Gas Safe registered engineer advises you otherwise”
Supports: HSE recommendation on servicing where no manufacturer's instructions are available
-
legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives) · Revised text as shown on 5 October 2026 · read on
“is maintained in a safe condition so as to prevent risk of injury to any person”
Supports: Employers' legal duty to keep gas appliances, pipework and flues in a safe condition
-
Health and Safety Executive · Fifth edition, 2018 · read on
“Effective maintenance of appliances usually involves an ongoing programme of regular/periodic inspections, together with any necessary remedial work.”
Supports: HSE guidance on regulation 35 in L56 (paragraph 296) on what effective maintenance involves
-
Health and Safety Executive · Page as shown on 5 October 2026 · read on
“Ensure that your gas pipework, appliances and flues are regularly maintained.”
Supports: HSE advice to employers
-
Good estate management for schools: Health and safety ↗
Department for Education (GOV.UK) · Updated 20 July 2026. Written for schools · read on
“It is good practice to have at least annual gas safety checks of appliances and associated pipework.”
Supports: Government schools guidance: at least annual checks are good practice