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Landlord gas safety rules in Scotland: what you need to do
A gas safety check every year, a copy to your tenants within 28 days, records kept for two years and a carbon monoxide alarm in every room with a fixed combustion appliance. Here’s the full picture, in plain English.
- 12months between gas safety checks
- 28days to give tenants a copy
- £108landlord certificate, or £144 with a service
28days to give tenants a copy
If you let a property with gas in it, gas safety isn’t optional. It’s set out in the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, and in Scotland it’s also part of the Repairing Standard every private landlord has to meet.
None of it is complicated once it’s in your diary. Here’s what you have to do, what the Scottish rules add, and how to make the yearly check painless.
The legal basics
What every landlord has to do.
- Have every gas appliance and flue you provide checked every 12 months
- Use a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Give existing tenants a copy of the record within 28 days
- Give new tenants a copy before they move in
- Keep each record for at least two years
- Have any faults put right before the appliance is used again
Can I have it done early?
Yes. You can have the check up to two months before it’s due and keep the same renewal date. If you do, keep the record until two more checks have been done.
Can I send it by email?
Yes, if your tenant agrees and can open it. They can still ask for a paper copy.
£144 with a boiler service in the same visit.
Every gas appliance
What Scotland adds
The Repairing Standard and the tolerable standard.
Carbon monoxide alarms
You must fit a carbon monoxide alarm in every room with a fixed combustion appliance, such as a boiler, fire, heater or stove, and in rooms a flue runs through. Cookers on their own don’t count. Our carbon monoxide alarm guide covers where they go.
Fire alarms
Interlinked smoke alarms in the living room and every hallway and landing, and a heat alarm in the kitchen.
Access
Give your tenant at least 48 hours’ notice of the check. If they won’t let you in, you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland for help getting access. Keep a note of every attempt.
Short-term lets
Holiday and short-term lets need a licence in Scotland, and the licence conditions include a gas safety certificate from the last 12 months, kept where guests can see it.
Leak and pressure test
What you’re not responsible for
Gas appliances your tenant owns, and flues connected only to them. You should still tell your tenants what their own responsibilities are.
The rules at a glance
| What you need to do | When | |
|---|---|---|
| Gas safety check | Every appliance and flue you provide, by a Gas Safe engineer | Every 12 months |
| Early check | Allowed, keeping the same renewal date | Up to 2 months before it’s due |
| Copy to existing tenants | The full record, paper or email | Within 28 days of the check |
| Copy to new tenants | The current record | Before they move in |
| Keep records | Each gas safety record | At least 2 years |
| Carbon monoxide alarms | Every room with a fixed combustion appliance | In place at all times |
From HSE and Scottish Government guidance, checked 1 November 2026. Prices include VAT.
Which one sounds like you?
- One propertyLandlord certificate
£108, or £144 with a service.
- Several propertiesPut them on one date
Call and we’ll line them up.
- Want it all looked afterHome Care for landlords
Add your rental properties.
- Not sure what’s neededRead the comparison
Service, check or certificate.
Common questions
Is a CP12 the same as a landlord gas safety certificate?
Yes. CP12 is the old name for the landlord gas safety record, and most people still use it. It’s the record of the yearly gas safety check.
Does a gas safety check include a boiler service?
No. The check confirms the gas appliances are safe, but nobody cleans or services the boiler. We can do both in one visit for £144.
Do I need a certificate if the property has no gas?
No gas means no gas safety check. You’ll still have the other Repairing Standard duties, including electrical safety and fire alarms.
What happens if an appliance fails the check?
If it’s unsafe, the engineer will make it safe and label it, and it mustn’t be used until it’s fixed. It’s an offence for an appliance identified as unsafe to be used. We’ll tell you what it needs and what it costs.
My tenant won’t let the engineer in. What do I do?
Give at least 48 hours’ notice, try again, and keep a record of every attempt. If you still can’t get access, you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland.
Do I need a check for a holiday let?
Yes, if it has gas. Short-term let licences in Scotland need a gas safety certificate from the last 12 months, displayed where guests can see it.
Can you email the certificate to me and my tenant?
Yes. Your certificate is emailed the same day. You can pass it on by email if your tenant agrees, and give a paper copy if they ask.
Related pages
Sources: HSE, gas safety records; Scottish Government, Repairing Standard guidance on gas; mygov.scot, short-term let licence requirements. Checked 1 November 2026.
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