How to check a gas engineer on the Gas Safe Register

Gas Safe Register is the official list of engineers allowed to do gas work in Great Britain. Around 390 people a month in London search for how to check it, according to Google Keyword Planner. That makes sense in a city where tenants, landlords and agents let strangers into flats every day. This guide shows how to check an engineer properly, using the card and the register.

The rule

The law in the UK is clear: anyone carrying out gas work on a gas appliance or fitting must be on the Gas Safe Register. That covers fitting, fixing, servicing, moving and removing appliances, and landlord safety checks. Gas Safe Register says it is illegal for someone who is not registered to fit a gas appliance and then have a registered engineer check it (Gas Safe Register, home improvements).

So the check is not a formality. If the person in your kitchen is not registered for the job they are doing, the work is illegal, whatever paperwork follows.

Step 1: ask for the ID card

Every Gas Safe registered engineer is issued a Gas Safe ID card, also called a licence card. It can be a physical card or a digital one on their phone (Gas Safe Register, ID card).

On the front, check:

• the photo matches the person at your door
• the engineer’s name and licence number
• the business they work for
• the expiry or validity date

Step 2: turn it over

The back of the card, or further down a digital card, is the part most people skip. It lists the work categories the engineer is legally qualified for. Gas Safe Register gives examples such as natural gas and domestic boiler.

Job in your home	Category to look for
Boiler repair, service or installation	Domestic boiler (central heating)
Gas cooker or hob	Cooker. Range cookers are a separate category
Gas fire	Gas fire or space heater
Landlord gas safety check	Every category for the appliances in the property
Gas pipework alterations	Pipework categories, plus the appliances being connected

The Gas Safe cooker guide gives a clear example: the Cooker category covers installing, servicing, repairing and safety checking domestic cookers, but not range cookers, which need “Range Cookers” listed.

This matters for landlords in particular. A London flat might have a combi boiler, a gas hob and an old gas fire. The engineer doing the safety check needs to be qualified for all three.

Step 3: check the register online

Use the Gas Safe Register find and check tool. You can search by business name, registration number, business phone number, engineer name or ID number. The result shows whether the business and engineer are currently registered.

Do this before the visit if you can. If you are a tenant and the landlord has sent someone you do not know, you are entitled to see the card and check it.

Checking the paperwork afterwards

For landlords, HSE says a gas safety record must include the engineer’s name, registration number and signature (HSE). Check the number on the record against the register. HSE also notes that any record issued after 1 April 2009 is only valid if the engineer was registered with Gas Safe Register. Older CORGI paperwork is history.

For a new boiler or gas fire, the registered business must notify the local authority within 30 days. You should then receive a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate (Gas Safe Register). If it does not arrive, Gas Safe advises contacting the installer and asking them to notify.

Common London situations

A few things come up often in north and east London.

Agents sending contractors. In boroughs like Islington, where 31.2% of households rented privately at the 2021 Census (ONS), many tenants never choose their engineer. You can still ask for the card.

Kitchen fitters and builders. Kitchen refits in Victorian terraces often mean the hob moves. The builder may not be registered. The gas part must be done by someone who is. See can you install a gas hob yourself.

Someone at the door after a gas emergency. When you call 0800 111 999 in north London, the emergency engineer comes from Cadent, the gas network. Cadent says all its engineers carry ID (Cadent). They make the situation safe. Repairs to your appliances afterwards need a Gas Safe registered engineer.

What to do if something is wrong

If the card does not match, the categories do not cover the job, or the register shows nothing, do not let the work go ahead. If gas work has already been done by someone unregistered, have the installation checked by a registered engineer. If you are worried an appliance is unsafe now, turn it off and, if you smell gas, follow the emergency steps on our gas leak page and call 0800 111 999.

Booking a check

London Gas Engineers offers gas safety checks for homeowners and landlords across north and east London, including Islington. The same rule applies to us as to anyone: ask for the ID card, read the back, and check the register.