Landlord gas cover is a phrase that covers a legal duty and a commercial product standing next to each other. The duty is the annual safety check and the record given to the tenant. The product is a service and breakdown contract. A landlord needs the first and may want the second, and the fastest way to get both wrong is to assume they are one thing.
The certificate is the compulsory half
Every gas appliance, fitting and flue in a let property must be checked annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and the record must reach the tenant within the statutory period and any new tenant at the start of their tenancy. Failing this is an offence and it is also the first document a local authority or a claimant's solicitor will ask for.
The contract is the optional half
A service plus repair, usually with the safety check bundled. It buys convenience, an automatic annual appointment, and cover for repairs subject to exclusions. Nothing about holding one changes the legal duty, and nothing about not holding one breaches it, provided the check is done.
What to check before buying a contract
Whether the annual safety check and the certificate are included, or charged separately. The age limit on the boiler. Whether previous servicing has to be evidenced. Whether parts are capped. And the call out response, which matters in winter when a tenant has no heating and a statutory duty to keep it working sits with you.
Keeping the paperwork where it is needed
The certificate goes to the tenant and a copy stays with the tenancy file. Landlords with several properties benefit most from a contract that renews automatically and diaries the appointment, because the commonest failure in this area is not refusing to do the check but forgetting it on the fourth property.
Questions people ask about landlord gas cover
Is landlord gas cover a legal requirement?
The annual safety check and the record given to the tenant are. A service or breakdown contract is optional.
Does a contract include the safety certificate?
Usually, and that convenience is the main reason to buy one. Confirm it rather than assuming.
How long do I have to give the tenant the record?
Within the statutory period after the check, and to any new tenant at the start of their tenancy. Keep a copy on the tenancy file.
What if the tenant will not let the engineer in?
You must take reasonable steps and record them. Write, offer dates, keep the correspondence, and take advice before the certificate expires.