Gas, electrics and safety: What every landlord must check
Keeping a rental property safe is one of the most fundamental obligations any landlord carries. Beyond the ethical duty of care, the legal requirements around gas safety, electrical safety, and fire and carbon monoxide protection are specific, enforceable, and carry serious consequences when not met. Understanding what each check involves, how often it must be done, and what documentation is required is the starting point for any well-run letting.
Gas safety
Every landlord who lets a property with gas appliances is required under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 to have an annual gas safety check carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The check covers all gas fittings, appliances, and flues in the property and results in a Gas Safety Certificate, formally known as a CP12.
According to the NRLA's compliance checklist, the certificate must be given to tenants before they move in and within 28 days of each subsequent annual check. Failure to comply is a criminal offence carrying fines of up to £6,000 or six months' imprisonment. The check also covers the installation pipework leading to any appliances, including appliances owned by the tenant, for which the landlord remains responsible in respect of the pipework even though not the appliance itself.
Landlords should also ensure tenants know how to turn off the gas supply and what to do in an emergency, and should obtain a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate when a new boiler is fitted and provide a copy to tenants.
Electrical safety
Under the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, landlords are required to have the electrical installations in their property inspected and tested by a qualified electrician every five years, or at the start of each new tenancy if sooner. The inspection produces an Electrical Installation Condition Report, known as an EICR.
The EICR must be provided to existing tenants within 28 days of the inspection and to new tenants before they move in. Where the report identifies remedial work, that work must be completed within 28 days of the inspection, and written confirmation that the work has been carried out must be provided to tenants. Failure to comply can result in local authority enforcement action and financial penalties.
Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms
Landlords in England are required to install at least one smoke alarm on every storey of the property that is used as living accommodation. A carbon monoxide alarm must be installed in any room containing a fixed combustion appliance, which includes gas boilers, open fires, and wood-burning stoves. From October 2022, the requirement for carbon monoxide alarms was extended to include rooms with any fixed combustion appliance, not solely solid fuel appliances as was previously the case.
All alarms must be tested and confirmed as working at the start of each tenancy. Landlords are responsible for ensuring alarms are in working order when a new tenancy begins. Day-to-day testing and maintenance during the tenancy falls to the tenant, though landlords should respond promptly to any report of a faulty alarm.
The Energy Performance Certificate
A valid EPC rated Band E or above is required before a property can be marketed for let. The certificate must be made available to prospective tenants at the earliest opportunity. EPCs are valid for ten years, but landlords should check the rating remains valid and has not lapsed before marketing a property. The current minimum rating is Band E, with Band C targeted by 2030 under proposed government policy, though that requirement is not yet in statute.
Keeping records
Maintaining a clear, accessible record of all certificates, inspection dates, and renewal deadlines for each property in a portfolio is the practical foundation of compliance. Many landlords use property management software to track these automatically and receive renewal reminders before deadlines fall due.
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