Yes — a gas cooker must be on the gas safety record if you own it and provide it for your tenant's use. Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, as amended, requires the record to describe every appliance and flue that was checked and to give its location in the property. That applies to landlords in England, and it covers fixed and portable appliances alike, not just the boiler. Pipework is handled differently, and a tenant's own appliance is a separate case. This page explains what goes on the record, what does not, and why.
Does a gas cooker need to be on the gas safety certificate?
Yes — a gas cooker you own and provide for your tenant to use is part of the annual gas safety check, and it appears on the record. HSE guidance for landlords in England states that every gas appliance the landlord owns and provides for the tenant's use falls under the landlord's duties. Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, as amended, sets out what the record has to contain.
The duty covers all fixed and portable gas appliances and flues you provide in the property. Each appliance and flue needs a safety check at least every 12 months. A cooker is not exempt because it is not a boiler.
A gas cooker you own and provide is listed on the record with its description and its location in the property, in the same way as the boiler.
What must a landlord gas safety record show for each appliance and flue?
The record has to name every appliance and flue that was checked, one by one. HSE sets out the minimum particulars for landlords in England:
- a description of each appliance or flue checked, and where in the property it is
- the name, registration number and signature of the engineer who carried out the check
- the date the check was carried out
- the address of the property
- your name and address as landlord, or your agent's
- any safety defect found, and the action taken to put it right
You must keep the record for two years. Existing tenants get a copy within 28 days of the check. New tenants get the last record for each appliance and flue before they move in. Where a right of occupation lasts 28 days or less, a copy may instead be displayed prominently in the property.
Electronic copies are acceptable if the tenant agrees to receive the record that way, and a paper copy must be provided on request. Our guide to landlord gas safety in England covers the wider duties behind the record.
Is the gas pipework itself listed on the gas safety record?
Installation pipework is not part of the statutory annual gas safety check under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, as amended. That is why you see appliances and flues listed line by line, but not the pipe runs between them. HSE still advises landlords in England to ask the engineer to carry out a tightness test on the whole gas installation, including the pipework, and a visual inspection of the pipework at the same time.
Maintenance should cover all installation pipework from the meter to each appliance. The service pipework outside the property is the gas network operator's responsibility, not yours. Ask your engineer to note what was tested, so the paperwork reflects the work actually done.
Which flues appear on the record, and who is allowed to inspect them?
Each flue that is checked is entered on the record with a description and its location, alongside the appliance it serves. A flue carries the products of combustion out of the property, so its condition matters as much as the appliance itself.
HSE describes effective maintenance as checking the condition and safe functioning of the appliance, the installation pipework, the ventilation and any flue for deterioration, together with performance testing. Appliances and flues should be maintained in line with the manufacturer's instructions. Where no instructions are available, HSE advises annual maintenance.
Where a boiler flue runs through a ceiling or wall void, HSE has issued a safety bulletin on access and inspection hatches. Flues, gas connections and anything inside a boiler case are work for a Gas Safe registered engineer. As a landlord you never open a case or disturb a gas connection yourself.
What if the gas cooker belongs to the tenant and not to you?
An appliance the tenant owns and brought in is not covered by your duty as landlord, so it does not have to appear on your record. You remain responsible for parts of the installation and the pipework that serve it. The tenant is responsible for having their own appliance checked, and for the flue where that flue serves only their appliance.
HSE calls it good practice to remind tenants to have their own gas appliances checked every year, and to offer to include those appliances in your own maintenance arrangements where you can. If you arrange that extra check, the engineer records each appliance checked with its description and location, just as with your own. A short note in the tenancy paperwork about who owns which appliance saves arguments later.
Do communal boilers, shared areas and LPG appliances go on the record?
Appliances, gas fittings and flues in common parts that tenants are able to use fall under your landlord duties in England. A communal boiler serving several flats forms part of the annual gas safety check. LPG appliances carry the same landlord duties as natural gas ones, so a bottled gas cooker or fire is treated no differently.
In a shared house the appliance list is usually longer than in a single-family let, because kitchens, communal lounges and boiler cupboards all come into scope. Our guide to gas safety in an HMO sets out what changes when a property is shared.
Gas safety record, boiler service or Benchmark: which document is which?
A gas safety check and a boiler service are two different things, and HSE treats them as separate duties. The gas safety record lists the appliances and flues checked, the engineer's details and any defects found with the action taken. A service follows the manufacturer's maintenance schedule for that appliance. The difference is explained in our guide on gas safety check or boiler service.
Benchmark is a separate code of practice for the correct installation, commissioning and servicing of boilers. The Benchmark checklist and service record sit at the back of the appliance manual, and the installer completes the relevant sections at commissioning and at each service. A completed checklist shows the appliance was installed to the manufacturer's instructions and the relevant Building Regulations. Some manufacturers now run Benchmark through an app.
If you want one engineer to check every appliance and flue you provide and to issue the paperwork, see our landlord gas safety certificate (CP12) page.
Sources
- The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36
- HSE — Gas safety check records and what to keep
- HSE — Gas safety checks: what needs them?
- HSE — Gas safety checks: who needs them?
- HSE — Maintenance: gas pipework
- HSE — Maintenance: gas appliances and flues
- HSE — Gas safety: landlords and letting agents FAQ
- HSE — Gas boilers: flues in voids
- Baxi — What is the Benchmark scheme