Quick answer
The landlord is responsible for the annual gas safety check and the Gas Safety record, unless the duty has moved to the letting agent under a written management agreement. Gas safety and Right to Rent are the only two duties that can move. On let only or rent collection, gas safety stays with the landlord. The check is due at least every 12 months, and existing tenants get a copy within 28 days.
The gas safety rules
- A Gas Safe registered engineer checks every gas appliance and flue at least every 12 months.
- Existing tenants get a copy of the record within 28 days of the check.
- New tenants get a copy before they move in.
- No gas supply at the property: the duty does not apply.
Most people call it a gas safety certificate. On this site it is the Gas Safety record. The rules are the same whatever you call it.
When the duty can move to the agent
Only two duties can move from a landlord to an agent: Right to Rent and gas safety. Both need it in writing. Everything else stays with the landlord, whatever the agreement says.
For gas safety, the writing is a management agreement. That is why it can move on a fully managed or guaranteed rent instruction, and not on let only or rent collection.
Service level by service level
- Let only (tenant find): the landlord does the check and is liable.
- Rent collection: the landlord does the check and is liable.
- Fully managed: the agent usually books the engineer. Liability moves only if the written management agreement says so.
- Guaranteed rent: as fully managed. The named landlord is still the landlord.
- Self-managed: the landlord, with no agent in the picture.
Doing the task is not the same as being liable for it. An agent can book every gas check on a fully managed book without ever taking the duty in writing.
If a check is missed, the question is who held the duty on that date. The answer is in the agreement, not in who usually picks up the phone.
The exact wording that moves the duty is a matter for a housing solicitor, not for us.
See who is liable for every duty, by service level, with the free agent or landlord responsibility checker.
When the service level changes
Service levels change. A landlord moves from fully managed to let only, or takes a property back to self-manage.
When the management agreement ends, so does any written transfer of gas safety. Record the date, and make sure the landlord knows the next check is now theirs.
A worked example
A Gas Safe registered engineer checks the boiler and hob on 12 October 2026.
- Copy to the existing tenants by 9 November 2026.
- Next check due by 12 October 2027.
- A sensible reminder: 60 days before, in August 2027.
Run any certificate date through the free certificate expiry calculator.
Gas safety checklist
- Is there a gas supply? If not, record that.
- Date of the last check and the engineer’s Gas Safe registration.
- Next due date: no more than 12 months on.
- Date the copy went to each current tenant, and how.
- For new tenants: copy given before move-in.
- Service level for this property, and whether the agent took gas safety in writing.
Gas sits alongside EICR, EPC, deposit and Right to Rent in the free Renters’ Rights Act compliance checklist.
The rules in one table
| Duty | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Annual safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer | Every 12 months |
| Keep the anniversary date when checking early | Check up to 2 months before the due date |
| Copy to existing tenants | Within 28 days of the check |
| Copy to a new tenant | Before they move in |
| Keep the record | At least 2 years |
| HMOs: send the record to the council | Within 7 days of a written request |
The gas rules are criminal law, enforced by the Health and Safety Executive through the courts. Councils add their own route: in HMOs and licensed properties a missing or unproduced gas record is a housing offence, with a civil penalty of up to £40,000.
What tribunals decided
| Case | What happened | Council | Tribunal |
|---|---|---|---|
| MAN/32UD/HNA/2022/0085 & 0086 | HMO manager accused of not sending the gas record when asked. It proved the record had been posted to the council on 28 March 2022 | £1,069.52, cut to £534.76 | Cancelled |
| MAN/00DA/HNA/2025/0603 | Landlord produced a gas record dated after the council’s inspection, with no proof one was valid on the day; other works outstanding | £14,250 proposed, £7,500 final | £10,500 — increased on appeal |
What the cases teach
- A valid gas record is not enough. You need proof it existed on the day, and proof of when it was sent.
- An appeal is a re-hearing. The tribunal can set a higher penalty than the council did.
- Health and personal circumstances counted as mitigation, but only with evidence.
If the management contract makes the agent responsible for gas maintenance and safety checks, HSE’s guidance is that the same duties under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 apply to the agent. Check what the management agreement actually says.
Cases are First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) decisions published on gov.uk. Each turns on its own facts; read the full decision before relying on one.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Where Abide.Rent fits
Abide.Rent records the service level per property, and duties shows who does each task and who is still legally responsible. Gas moves to the agent on the record only when the written agreement is on file.
Abide.Rent tracks this for every property you manage. Free for a month, no card.
Not legal advice.
More from the blog
Renters’ Rights Act checklist for letting agentsA practical Renters’ Rights Act checklist for agents in England: tenancies and notices, rent increases, safety, deposits, the PRS Database and the records to keep.
Let only vs fully managed: who is responsible for complianceOn let only, almost every duty sits with the landlord. On fully managed, the agent does most of the work — but only two duties can legally move. A duty-by-duty guide.
EICR rules for landlords: every 5 years and the 28-day copyAn EICR is due at least every five years, sooner if the report says so, and the tenant must have a copy within 28 days. Who is liable, and what to track.