Gas safety certificates (CP12): what landlords must do
Of all the statutory regimes, gas is the one where failures most often end with someone in a courtroom — or a cemetery. Carbon monoxide doesn't announce itself. The law reflects that: the gas safety check is annual, non-negotiable, and the penalties for skipping it are among the harshest in property.
- Annual check — under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, landlords must have every gas appliance and flue checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
- The record — the engineer issues a Landlord Gas Safety Record (historically the "CP12"). Keep it for at least two years.
- Share it fast — give a copy to existing tenants within 28 days of the check, and to new tenants before they move in.
- The stakes are criminal — the HSE prosecutes; penalties include unlimited fines and imprisonment, and landlords have been jailed where failures led to deaths.
What the law requires
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 put three core duties on landlords:
- Maintenance — pipework, appliances and flues must be kept in a safe condition.
- Annual safety checks — every appliance and flue serving the let property must be checked within 12 months of the last check.
- Records — issue and keep the gas safety record, and share it with tenants.
All gas work must be done by an engineer on the Gas Safe Register — the official body that replaced CORGI in 2009. Using anyone else is itself an offence.
The "CP12" and the 12-month clock
"CP12" is the old form number; the correct name now is the Landlord Gas Safety Record (LGSR). It lists each appliance, the checks done, any defects, and the date.
The timing has one helpful quirk. You can carry out the check up to two months before the deadline without losing the original date — the new deadline stays 12 months from the old expiry, not from the day you did it. That stops the date drifting earlier each year. Outside that window, the clock resets.
Sharing the record
- Existing tenants: a copy within 28 days of the check.
- New tenants: a copy before they move in.
- Keep each record for at least two years.
If a tenant won't grant access, you must show you've taken all reasonable steps to comply — repeated written requests, evidence of attempts. "The tenant wouldn't let me in" is not, on its own, a defence.
What happens if you don't
The Health and Safety Executive enforces. Penalties under the regulations and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 include unlimited fines and imprisonment. This isn't theoretical — landlords have received custodial sentences where uninspected appliances caused carbon monoxide deaths. Of every deadline in this article, this is the one to never let slip.
Where it fits
Gas is one thread in a wider obligation that also covers fire risk assessments, electrical safety (EICR) and legionella. The complete UK property compliance guide lays out the whole calendar.
Because the check is annual and the consequences are the most severe, gas is exactly where an automatic, audited reminder earns its keep. Proprietas tracks each property's gas check date, holds the deadline using the two-month rule correctly, and escalates the reminder as it approaches — so a missed renewal never becomes a missed appliance. Try it on a real certificate.
This is a plain-English overview, not legal advice — your duties depend on your properties and appliances.
Estates, but on autopilot.
Drop in a certificate and Proprietas reads the dates, files it to the right property, and tracks every statutory deadline — so nothing slips and you're never the one exposed.