A CP12 in London is the landlord gas safety record that a Gas Safe registered engineer issues after checking the gas appliances, pipework and flues you supply in a let property. The duty comes from regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 as amended, and in England the check must be repeated at intervals of no more than 12 months. HSE now calls the document the landlord gas safety record; CP12 was the old form name and is still what most landlords search for. London flats add three complications that a house rarely has: a communal boiler owned by the freeholder, a flue hidden in a ceiling void, and borough licensing that wants the record each year.
What does a CP12 cover in a London flat with a communal boiler?
A communal boiler serving your block must be maintained by a Gas Safe registered engineer and included in the annual gas safety check. HSE guidance for landlords in England puts that duty on you as the landlord of the flat, even where the plant belongs to the freeholder. You normally meet it through the lease or the contract with the building owner or managing agent. Ask for written confirmation each year that the communal boiler, the risers (the vertical gas pipework running up the building) and the shared flues have been checked.
Responsibility in a leasehold flat can sit with the freeholder, the managing agent and you at the same time. Read the lease before you assume the building's certificate covers the appliances in your flat. More on that split is in gas safety in a leasehold flat.
A communal boiler does not replace your own gas safety record. The appliances, pipework and flues you supply inside the let flat still need a check at intervals of no more than 12 months, recorded by a Gas Safe registered engineer under regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 as amended (England).
Why a flue in a ceiling void can hold up a CP12 in a converted London flat
A boiler flue hidden in a ceiling void is common in converted houses and purpose-built blocks, and it limits what the gas safety check can confirm. HSE's safety bulletin on flues in voids says the engineer needs to see the flue joints along their length. Where no inspection hatch gives that view, the appliance should be classed At Risk, a rating that means it should not be used until the problem is resolved.
Cutting and fitting hatches is building work, and in a block it usually needs the freeholder's or managing agent's agreement. Inspecting the flue itself is work for a Gas Safe registered engineer, never for you or the tenant. Raise it well before the renewal month, because permission in a managed building takes time. The detail is set out in boiler flue in a ceiling void.
Does your London borough's HMO licence require a gas safety record every year?
Producing an annual gas safety certificate to the council is a mandatory condition of an HMO licence in England. An HMO is a house in multiple occupation, and a large HMO needs a licence where five or more people from more than one household share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. A licence runs for up to five years, and keeping smoke alarms in working order is another mandatory condition.
London boroughs also operate additional and selective licensing schemes of their own. A smaller shared house can therefore need a licence in one borough and none in the next. Check the scheme your borough runs before the property is let, and diary the gas check so the record is current when the council asks. What changes inside a shared house is covered in gas safety in an HMO.
Communal boiler or a boiler inside the flat: who arranges the CP12?
Two gas set-ups dominate London flats: a boiler inside each flat, or communal plant heating the whole building. The duty under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 as amended (England) lands differently in each case.
| Point | Boiler inside the flat you let | Communal boiler serving the block |
|---|---|---|
| Who supplies the appliance | You supply it as landlord, so it belongs on your own gas safety record | The freeholder or management company owns the plant for the whole building |
| Who books the annual check | You arrange a Gas Safe registered engineer for the flat | The building owner arranges it, and you must make sure it happens through the lease or contract |
| What you keep on file | The record naming each appliance, pipe and flue checked inside the flat | Written confirmation from the freeholder or managing agent, filed with your own record |
| Access needed | Entry to the flat on a date the tenant agrees to | Entry to plant rooms and risers, which the building owner organises |
| Flue route | Your engineer needs sight of the flue, so hatches may be asked for in a void | Shared flues and chimneys are checked as part of the building plant maintenance |
Both columns can apply to one flat at once. A flat with its own combi boiler may still share a chimney or a flue void with the flat above. HSE advises that all flues serving the property are included in the check, which matters most where a shaft is shared.
You sublet or run short lets in London: who holds the CP12 duty?
Subletting keeps the gas safety duty with you as the original landlord. HSE guidance for England states that the responsibility cannot be passed to a tenant who sublets. You count as a landlord where you let under a tenancy of less than seven years or under a licence to occupy.
Lets of under 28 days sit in the same position as longer tenancies. Bedsits, private homes, bed and breakfast accommodation and hotels are all covered. Wording in a tenancy agreement cannot move the duty onto the occupier. Give new occupiers a copy of the record before they move in, and existing tenants a copy within 28 days of the check.
Which parts of London does FM Power cover for landlord gas safety checks?
FM Power carries out landlord gas safety checks across Central, North, East, South and West London, and in Essex, Kent, Surrey, Hertfordshire and Middlesex. The engineer is Gas Safe registered. You or your tenant can ask to see the ID card before work starts: the front carries the photo, registration number and expiry date, and the back lists the work categories, such as boilers, cookers and gas fires.
Appointments can be arranged seven days a week, including evenings and weekends, which helps when a tenant is only at home outside working hours. The record is sent by email and there is no monthly contract. The boroughs covered are listed under areas we cover. If a renewal month is coming round on a flat or a shared house, you can arrange a landlord gas safety certificate (CP12) visit and have the record emailed to you.
Sources
- HSE – Gas safety check records and what to keep
- HSE – Gas safety: landlords and letting agents FAQ
- HSE – Gas safety checks: who needs them?
- HSE – Gas safety checks: what needs them?
- HSE – Gas boilers: flues in voids safety bulletin
- HSE – Gas safety checks: what if…?
- legislation.gov.uk – Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36
- GOV.UK – Renting out your property: houses in multiple occupation
- HSE – Domestic gas: frequently asked questions