Why it matters
What Gas Safe Register means for a landlord
The 2009 transition from CORGI to Gas Safe is old news for experienced landlords but still causes false compliance for landlords relying on legacy tradesmen. A handyman uncle doing "the same thing CORGI did" is an unregistered gas operative and the CP12 they produce is legally worthless. Two minutes on gassaferegister.co.uk protects a prosecution defence.
Worked example
How it plays out
Lucy’s handyman offers to service the boiler in her Bradford flat for £40 and write up the gas safety record. She searches his name on the Gas Safe Register and finds he is not registered. She books a registered engineer instead, checks the ID card at the door and confirms the card lists the right type of work for a domestic boiler. A record from an unregistered person would not have met her legal duty.
Common mistakes
Where landlords go wrong
- 01Relying on an old CORGI registration or a trader’s word.
- 02Not checking the card covers the type of gas work being done.
- 03Letting a tenant arrange the gas check without seeing the record.
What to do
A short checklist
- Check each engineer on the Gas Safe Register before booking.
- Ask to see the ID card on the day and check it matches the name.
- Note the engineer’s registration number on the record.
Sources
- HSE: Landlords’ responsibility for gas safety
- legislation.gov.uk: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998
Checked against these sources on 16 September 2026. A guide to the rules in England, not legal advice: for a dispute or a possession claim, speak to a solicitor.
