Gas Safety Certificate Expired? What to Do Now

A landlord gas safety record (CP12) lasts 12 months. Once that date passes without a new check, you’re no longer meeting the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 — and every day it stays overdue adds to the risk for your tenants and for you.

⚖️ Is an Expired Gas Safety Certificate Illegal?

Yes. Landlords must have every gas appliance, fitting and flue they provide checked at least every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and give tenants a copy of the record. There’s no grace period. What matters most is how you respond:

• The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforces gas safety and can prosecute. Serious cases can mean an unlimited fine or prison.
• It’s a separate offence to let anyone use a gas appliance you know is unsafe.
• Your council can also take action over unsafe conditions in a rented home.
• From 2027 the new PRS Database will ask for each property’s gas safety information — London landlords must register between 15 July and 14 October 2027.

Section 21 notices ended on 1 May 2026, so the old “no certificate, no Section 21” rule no longer applies to new notices — but the safety duty itself hasn’t changed at all.

✅ Five Things to Do Today

1. Book the check now. Ask for the earliest appointment, and tell the engineer it’s overdue.
2. Tell your tenant in writing. Explain the check is a legal safety requirement, give the date, and offer other times if it doesn’t suit them.
3. Keep a record of every message, call and missed appointment. If access is difficult, this shows you took all reasonable steps.
4. If anything seems unsafe — soot marks, a yellow or lazy flame, a boiler that keeps cutting out — ask the tenant not to use that appliance until it’s checked.
5. After the visit, give the tenant a copy of the new record within 28 days, and keep your copy until two further checks have been done.

📅 What Will the New Expiry Date Be?

If the check is done late, the next 12 months run from the date of the new check — you can’t backdate it.

The useful rule for next time: if a check is carried out 10 to 12 months after the previous one, you can keep the original expiry date. In other words, booking up to two months early costs you nothing.

🔔 How to Never Miss It Again

• Put two reminders in your calendar: 10 months after each check (book it) and 11 months (chase it).
• Keep one list of every property with its CP12, EICR and EPC dates — you’ll need them for the PRS Database anyway.
• Combine visits: gas check with the boiler service, or with the EICR when it’s due.
• Use a company that reminds you — we send renewal reminders before your next check is due.

🔑 If You’re a Tenant

• Your landlord must arrange the check every 12 months and give you a copy of the record. You can’t be charged for it.
• Ask your landlord or agent in writing for the current record or a date for the check.
• If nothing happens, you can contact your council’s private rented housing team, or HSE’s gas safety advice line on 0800 300 363.
• Let the engineer in when the check is booked — it’s for your safety.

🏆 Overdue Gas Safety Check? We Can Help

• CP12 from £65 — new customers 10% off (from £58.50)
• Same-day appointments when available; certificate emailed the same day
• Repairs handled by us if anything fails
• Renewal reminders so it doesn’t happen again
• Free online client portal — every certificate stored in one place, with expiry alerts. See how it works

We cover North, West and Central London. Book a gas safety check or call 020 8445 1303.