Gas Safety Certificate Cost 2026: CP12 Prices and Rules
A landlord gas safety certificate costs £60 to £130 in 2026, depending on how many appliances the engineer checks and where the property is. Add £45 to £80 for a boiler service at the same visit. The check is due every 12 months, only a Gas Safe registered engineer can do it, the tenant must have a copy within 28 days, and the penalty for not having one is an unlimited fine and a prison sentence. This guide gives the price by appliance count and region, what the engineer checks, how the 12-month rule works, and what to do when a tenant will not let the engineer in.
In this guide
Gas safety certificate prices Prices by region What the engineer checks Should you add a boiler service The rules: 12 months, 28 days, two years Carbon monoxide alarms When the tenant refuses access What common faults cost Frequently asked questionsGas safety certificate prices
The certificate, still called a CP12 after the old CORGI form, is priced by the number of gas appliances and flues the engineer has to test. A flat with a combi boiler is the cheapest job; a house with a boiler, a gas hob and a living-flame fire takes twice as long. These are the September 2026 ranges outside London and the South East. Put your own property into the certificate cost calculator to add the EICR and EPC and see the annual total.
| Appliances | Typical property | Time on site | Certificate price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (boiler only) | Flat or house with electric hob | 30 to 45 minutes | £60 to £90 |
| 2 (boiler and hob or fire) | Most houses | 45 to 60 minutes | £70 to £110 |
| 3 or more | Boiler, hob, fire, gas oven | 60 to 90 minutes | £90 to £135 |
| Boiler service added | Any | +30 to 45 minutes | +£45 to £80 |
Prices include VAT. Some engineers charge per appliance (£15 to £25 each beyond the first); the ranges above already reflect that.
Two things move the price within a range. An engineer who is already in the area for a boiler service charges less for the certificate than one making a special trip, so a landlord with several properties in one town does well to book them on one day. And a national provider with a booking line costs £10 to £30 more than a local engineer for the same form; what you buy is convenience and a guaranteed slot.
Prices by region
| Region | Against the base price | Boiler and hob |
|---|---|---|
| London | +25 to +30 percent | £90 to £140 |
| South East and East of England | +10 to +15 percent | £80 to £125 |
| Midlands, North, South West, Wales | Base | £70 to £110 |
What the engineer checks
The check covers every gas appliance and flue you own at the property and the pipework up to the appliances. For each appliance the engineer tests the gas rate and burner pressure, checks the flue is complete and terminates safely, tests for spillage of combustion products, checks ventilation, and inspects the physical condition and the safety devices. The pipework gets a tightness test at the meter. Appliances the tenant owns are not included, though the engineer will check the flue and pipework serving them if they are fixed. The result for each appliance is Pass, Fail or Not to Current Standards, and the engineer will cap off anything immediately dangerous. The record must be on a form that includes the details set out in regulation 36, which is what the CP12 form does.
Should you add a boiler service
A gas safety check is not a service. The check confirms the boiler is safe; a service cleans and adjusts it so it keeps running. Most engineers offer the two together for £115 to £190, which is £20 to £40 less than booking them separately, and most boiler warranties require an annual service to stay valid. For a boiler under 10 years old the combined visit is worth it; for an old boiler you are planning to replace before 2030, the check alone is enough. If you hold boiler cover or home emergency insurance, check whether the annual service is included before paying twice.
The rules: 12 months, 28 days, two years
- Every 12 months. Regulation 36 requires a check of each appliance and flue you provide within 12 months of installation and at intervals of no more than 12 months after that.
- The MOT-style window. Since 2018 an engineer can do the check in the two months before the current record expires and keep the original expiry date, so booking early costs you nothing. Book too early (more than two months) and the new date is a year from the check.
- Copies. Existing tenants must have a copy within 28 days of the check; new tenants must have one before they move in. Keep each record until two further checks of that appliance have been done, which in practice means at least two years.
- Who. Only a Gas Safe registered engineer. Check the card, or the register at gassaferegister.co.uk, and check the engineer is registered for the appliance types you have.
- Penalties. Breaches are criminal offences under section 33 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Schedule 3A sets the penalty on summary conviction at imprisonment up to the magistrates' court general limit and a fine (unlimited since March 2015), and on indictment at up to two years in prison and an unlimited fine. Manslaughter charges have followed carbon monoxide deaths. Councils can also use their civil penalty powers, and under the Renters' Rights Act the record will be uploaded to the landlord database.
The record is also one of the documents you must have served to rely on certain possession grounds and, under the Act's new regime, one of the items the database will show as current or expired. Put the expiry date in the compliance calendar with a reminder eight weeks before.
Carbon monoxide alarms
Since 1 October 2022 every private rental in England must have a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation that contains a fixed combustion appliance, which means the boiler, a gas fire or an oil or solid fuel stove but not a gas cooker or hob. There must also be a smoke alarm on every storey. You must check they work on the first day of each tenancy and repair or replace them as soon as a tenant reports a fault. Alarms cost £15 to £30 each and most engineers will fit them during the gas check for £20 to £40 per alarm, which the calculator includes as an option.
When the tenant refuses access
You must take all reasonable steps to do the check, but you cannot force entry. The HSE's position, which the courts follow, is that a landlord who can show a written record of repeated attempts has taken reasonable steps. The routine that works: write to the tenant a month before expiry with a proposed date, follow up with a second letter offering alternative dates and explaining the legal duty, and keep copies of every letter, text and email plus the engineer's note of any missed visit. Three documented attempts is the usual standard. Under the Renters' Rights Act a tenant's persistent refusal to allow access for safety checks can itself support possession on the breach-of-tenancy ground, but that is a last resort; most refusals end when the tenant understands the check is for their safety and takes an hour.
What common faults cost
| Fault found at the check | Typical fix | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Gas fire failing spillage test | Flue sweep or cap off and remove the fire | £80 to £150, or £100 to £200 to remove |
| Boiler flue terminal too close to a window or boundary | Extend or re-route the flue | £150 to £400 |
| Inadequate ventilation for an open-flued appliance | Fit a permanent vent | £60 to £150 |
| Pipework fails tightness test | Trace and repair the leak | £100 to £300 |
| Boiler condemned (immediately dangerous) | Replace | £1,800 to £3,000 for a combi, more for a system boiler and cylinder |
| Hob without flame supervision (old model) | Replace the hob | £250 to £500 fitted |
Prices include VAT, September 2026. Old gas fires and back boilers are the usual reason a check fails; capping off the fire is cheaper than repairing it and removes an appliance from every future check.
If the boiler is condemned, a replacement is also a chance to plan for the EPC C deadline. A new condensing boiler adds 5 to 8 points and a heat pump, which landlords can fund with the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, adds 10 to 15 and removes the gas check altogether.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a landlord gas safety certificate in 2026?
£60 to £90 for a boiler only, £70 to £110 for a boiler and hob, and £90 to £135 for three or more appliances outside London. London is 25 to 30 percent more. A boiler service at the same visit adds £45 to £80.
How long does a gas safety certificate last?
Twelve months. If the engineer does the new check within two months before the old one expires, the new certificate runs from the old expiry date, so you lose nothing by booking early.
Do I need a gas safety certificate if there is no gas?
No. A property with no gas supply or no gas appliances needs no CP12. You still need the EICR, smoke alarms on every storey and a carbon monoxide alarm for any oil or solid fuel appliance.
What is the fine for not having a gas safety certificate?
It is a criminal offence under section 33 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, not a civil penalty. The magistrates' court can impose an unlimited fine and imprisonment up to its general limit; the Crown Court can impose an unlimited fine and up to two years. It is one of the most enforced landlord duties.
Does the tenant have to be there?
No, but someone must let the engineer in and the appliances must be accessible. Give the tenant at least 24 hours' written notice of the visit and offer a choice of dates; keep the correspondence in case access is refused.
Can I use my boiler cover's annual service as the gas safety check?
Only if the cover explicitly includes a landlord gas safety record and the engineer issues one. Many policies include the service but not the CP12; some landlord-specific policies include both. Check the wording before relying on it.
Sources
HSE: gas safety for landlords; the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 as amended 2018; the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022; Gas Safe Register; published rates from registered engineers and national certificate providers, September 2026. See the methodology.