Boiler service: how often, and the landlord’s gas safety check
Have your boiler and other gas appliances serviced at least once a year by a Gas Safe registered engineer, as the Health and Safety Executive advises. If you let a home, a gas safety check every 12 months is the law, with a copy of the record to tenants within 28 days. If you smell gas, call 0800 111 999.
Last updated 16 Oct 2026 · Joel Lister, founder of Radar
Who this is for: anyone with a gas boiler or gas appliances at home, and landlords letting a home with gas.
Who it is not for: oil or solid fuel heating, or gas in business premises.
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Your own home | Gas appliances, flues and pipework serviced at least once a year by a Gas Safe registered engineer. | HSE |
| Who can do it | Only a Gas Safe registered engineer. Their ID card says which appliances they are qualified to work on; check them on the Gas Safe Register, or on 0800 408 5500. | HSE |
| Letting a home | A gas safety check every 12 months. It can be done up to 2 months early and keep the original deadline. | HSE |
| The record | A copy to existing tenants within 28 days of the check, and to new tenants before they move in. Kept for at least 2 years. | HSE, HSE |
| An appliance you think is unsafe | It is illegal to use it. Turn it off and leave it until a Gas Safe registered engineer has checked it. | HSE |
| If you smell gas | Call the gas emergency number, 0800 111 999. Open doors and windows, and turn the gas off at the meter if you know how. | HSE |
How often should a boiler be serviced?
At least once a year. The Health and Safety Executive strongly advises that all gas appliances, flues and pipework are installed, regularly maintained and serviced at least annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer (HSE). The NHS gives the same advice for boilers, heaters and cookers as a way to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning (NHS).
The easiest way to keep to it is to book the next service when the engineer finishes this one, or to put the date somewhere that will remind you a few weeks ahead.
Gas safety certificates for landlords
What most people call a gas safety certificate is the record of the landlord’s yearly gas safety check. A landlord must have each gas appliance and flue they provide checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer, give existing tenants a copy of the record within 28 days and new tenants one before they move in, and keep the records (HSE). A record must be kept until two further checks have been done, which can be longer than two years (HSE). A check done in the two months before it is due keeps the original date, so the cycle does not creep earlier each year (HSE).
Carbon monoxide
A badly working gas appliance can give off carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell. The symptoms include a headache, dizziness, feeling or being sick, tiredness and confusion, and shortness of breath. If you think you might have them, stop using the appliance if it is safe to, get outside, and call 111; call 999 if someone is finding it hard to breathe or has lost consciousness (NHS).
The NHS suggests a carbon monoxide alarm in each room with a gas, oil, coal or wood-burning appliance (NHS). HSE recommends alarms as an early warning, but not instead of servicing (HSE). Test them with your smoke alarms.
What Radar does with this
- Life setup asks: “When is the boiler next due a service?” An annual service keeps many boiler warranties valid, and engineers book up before winter. Radar reminds you 21 days ahead.
- Life setup asks: “When should Radar next remind you to test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms?” Pressing the test button once a month is the usual advice.
- Life setup asks when the boiler is next due a service, puts it on your Radar and moves it on a year when you mark it done, beside the monthly test of your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
Radar reads the calendars, task lists and CRM you connect, and the dates you give it. It writes back only when you press a button, and it never sends anything by itself.
Limitations and status
- Radar reminds you when the service is due; it does not book an engineer.
- This guide covers gas appliances only.
Also free: Radar Lite, the habit tracker on its own, for you and anyone 13 or over in the family.
Questions
How often should a boiler be serviced?
At least once a year, by a Gas Safe registered engineer. (HSE)
Is a boiler service a legal requirement?
For your own home, HSE strongly advises a yearly service. If you let a home, a gas safety check every 12 months is a legal duty, with a copy of the record to your tenants. (HSE, HSE)
What is a gas safety certificate?
The record of a landlord’s yearly gas safety check. Existing tenants get a copy within 28 days of the check, new tenants before they move in. (HSE)
What should I do if I smell gas?
Call the gas emergency number, 0800 111 999, open doors and windows, and turn the gas off at the meter if you know how. (HSE)
What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?
A headache, dizziness, feeling or being sick, feeling weak, tiredness and confusion, chest and muscle pain, and shortness of breath. Call 111 if you think you have them, 999 in an emergency. (NHS)
Sources
- Gas safety: home owners (HSE), read 16 Oct 2026
- Gas safety: landlords and letting agents (HSE), read 16 Oct 2026
- Gas safety check records and what to keep (HSE), read 16 Oct 2026
- Carbon monoxide poisoning (NHS), read 16 Oct 2026
Written by Joel Lister, founder of Radar · first published 16 Oct 2026. Radar is made by Neos Technologies Ltd.