Gas safety certificate (CP12): what landlords and engineers need in 2026
In short: A landlord gas safety record, still known in the trade as a CP12, is required every 12 months for every rental property with gas appliances, costs around £60 to £120 in 2026, and must be issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Tenants get a copy within 28 days and records are kept for two years.
The CP12 designation is a hangover from CORGI days, but everyone in the trade still says it, and the duty it describes has not changed: every rental property with gas appliances needs a landlord gas safety record, renewed every 12 months, issued by a Gas Safe registered engineer. It is the gas twin of the five-yearly EICR duty, on a faster clock.
What the engineer actually checks
For each appliance and flue: operating pressure or heat input, ventilation provision, flue operation and termination, the presence and operation of safety devices, and physical condition. Plus a tightness test on the installation pipework. Each appliance gets a pass or a defect recorded; an appliance found immediately dangerous gets disconnected with the tenant's agreement and a warning notice, not a polite note.
The 12-month rule and the MOT window
The record runs 12 months from the check. Since 2018 the regulations allow the renewal check up to two months early while preserving the original expiry date, exactly like an MOT, so there is no reason for a landlord's record to ever lapse over a booking delay. Engineers who track the due dates and text the landlord a month out keep that work year after year.
Copies and record-keeping
Existing tenants get a copy within 28 days of the check; new tenants get one before they move in. The landlord keeps each record for at least two years. The fine print that catches people out: the duty covers flues serving gas appliances even where the appliance belongs to the tenant, and a property with the gas capped still benefits from a record saying exactly that.
Prices in 2026
| Visit | Typical price |
|---|---|
| CP12, one appliance | £60 to £90 |
| CP12, boiler plus hob or fire | £75 to £120 |
| CP12 combined with boiler service | £120 to £180 |
London pricing sits at the top of each band, as ever.
One visit, two trades, one folder
Letting agents do not think in certificates, they think in properties: is this address compliant, and when does anything expire. The engineers and electricians who win agent work are the ones whose paperwork arrives the same day, reads cleanly, and whose retest reminders arrive before the agent's own spreadsheet notices. The trade that runs its gas records and its electrical certificates out of one tidy system looks, to an agent, like the safe pair of hands.
Common questions
How much does a gas safety certificate cost?
Typically £60 to £120 in 2026 depending on region and the number of appliances, often less when combined with a boiler service on the same visit. Each additional appliance adds a little to the time and the price.
Can a CP12 be done early without losing days?
Yes. The check can be done up to two months before the current record expires while keeping the original expiry date, MOT-style, so landlords lose nothing by booking early.
Is a CP12 the same as a boiler service?
No. The gas safety record is an inspection: tightness, appliance operating pressure, flue performance, ventilation and safety devices. A service is maintenance. Doing both in one visit is common and sensible, but the paperwork is separate.
SparkCerts runs the whole job for a UK sparky: quote it, fill the certificate in on site with readings checked as you type, and the invoice goes out with the cert attached. Three jobs free, then £12 a month.
Try it on your next job