Landlord safety certificates in England: what you need and when

If you let a home in England, you're legally responsible for keeping it safe. Most of those duties come down to three things: gas safety, electrical safety, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. This guide explains what each one involves, how often it's due, and the deadlines that matter. It's a summary, not legal advice, so check the current rules and any council licensing conditions that apply to your property.

Gas safety record (CP12)

Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, landlords must have every gas appliance, fitting and flue they provide checked for safety at least every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer. The engineer issues a gas safety record, often called a CP12.

• Give existing tenants a copy within 28 days of the check.
• Give new tenants a copy before they move in.
• Keep each record for at least two years.
• Make sure appliances are maintained in a safe condition between checks. An annual boiler service is the usual way to do this.

The check covers appliances you provide. A tenant's own gas cooker isn't included, although the pipework supplying it is.

Tip: you can have the check done up to two months before the deadline without losing the original expiry date, so book early.

Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)

The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require the electrical installation in a rented home to be inspected and tested at least every five years by a qualified person. The result is an EICR.

• Give existing tenants a copy within 28 days of the inspection.
• Give new tenants a copy before they move in.
• Give the council a copy within 7 days if it asks.
• If the report requires remedial work or further investigation, complete it within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so, and get written confirmation that it's done.

An EICR is unsatisfactory if it contains any C1, C2 or FI codes. Our guide to EICR codes explains what each one means.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 require landlords to:

• Fit a smoke alarm on every storey used wholly or partly as living accommodation.
• Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance, such as a gas boiler or wood burner. Gas cookers are excluded.
• Make sure the alarms are working on the first day of each new tenancy, and repair or replace them once told they're faulty.

Mains-powered, interlinked alarms cost more to install but are more reliable than battery units. We can fit either.

Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)

HMOs have extra management duties, and larger HMOs, with five or more people forming more than one household, need a mandatory licence from the council. Many councils in London and beyond also run additional or selective licensing schemes that cover smaller properties. Licence conditions usually require current gas and electrical certificates, and often more, so check your council's scheme.

The current wiring regulations also call for arc fault detection devices on certain circuits in HMOs, so an EICR on an HMO may pick up items a standard home wouldn't.

What happens if you don't comply?

Councils can issue financial penalties for breaching the electrical safety regulations, and failing to meet gas safety duties is a criminal offence. Missing certificates can also cause problems with your insurance and your licence. Above all, these checks exist because faulty gas and electrics kill.

Keeping it simple

The easiest approach is to line up your gas and electrical checks so one visit covers both, and keep a simple calendar of expiry dates for every property. We're Gas Safe registered, an NICEIC Approved Contractor and F-Gas certified, so we can do the gas safety check, the EICR, the alarms and any remedial work together. Get a compliance quote.