How to check a gas safety certificate
You can check the engineer behind a gas safety certificate, and check that the record itself is complete. This also explains what people mean by a “Gas Safe certificate”.
Gas Safe certificate: what the term means
“Gas Safe certificate” is a common way of saying a gas safety certificate. Gas Safe Register is the official list of gas engineers in Great Britain, the Isle of Man and Guernsey. It does not usually issue the landlord’s record: the engineer who did the check does.
Check the engineer first
- Ask to see their Gas Safe ID card; it shows their photo, licence number and what they are qualified to work on
- Look up the licence number on the Gas Safe Register website
- Check the back of the card matches the work, for example boilers, cookers or hobs
- Be wary if you cannot see a card or the number does not match
What a complete record should show
- The property address and the date of the check
- The engineer’s name, Gas Safe licence number and company
- Each appliance checked, with location, make and model
- The results for each appliance, including any defects
- Details of any remedial action taken or advised
- A signature or digital authorisation
If something does not look right
Ask the issuing company to confirm the record and provide a copy. A record that is incomplete, or that was not done by a registered engineer, may not meet a landlord’s duty, so arrange a fresh check. The company that issued the record can confirm it.
Common questions
Can I look up a certificate online?
Not by certificate number: there is no central public database of individual landlord records. You can check that the engineer is registered, and ask the issuing company to confirm the record.
What does an unsafe appliance mean on a record?
The engineer will explain the classification and the action needed. Do not keep using an appliance that has been marked as unsafe.