Gas safety check for London homeowners

The check follows the same safety tests a landlord check uses. The engineer looks at how each appliance burns, whether the flue takes the fumes away properly, whether there is enough air for the appliance, and whether it is fitted securely. On cookers and hobs, Gas Safe Register also lists checks that the pipework is not worn or damaged and that the cooker is in a suitable place.

It is not a service. A service strips down and cleans a boiler. A safety check proves it is safe on the day. Many people book both together.

A lot of homes here have gas appliances that were fitted long before the current owner moved in. A 1930s semi in Enfield or Finchley may still have a gas fire in a front room chimney. A flat in a converted Hackney terrace may have a boiler with a flue boxed into a ceiling. Since 1 January 2013, a flue in a void that cannot be inspected is classed as At Risk, so the first check after you buy is a good time to find out (HSE).

Building work is the other big reason. Loft conversions, rear extensions and kitchen refits are common across Islington, Crouch End and Walthamstow. New windows can end up too close to a boiler flue terminal, and builders can box in pipework or block vents. A check after the builders leave catches it.

By law, anyone doing gas work in your home must be on the Gas Safe Register. Ask to see the ID card. The front shows the engineer, and the back lists what they can work on, for example domestic boilers, cookers or gas fires (Gas Safe Register). An engineer qualified for boilers is not automatically qualified for a range cooker or a gas fire. You can also check the engineer or business on the register.

North and east London has a fast moving housing market and a lot of flats changing hands. When you move in, you rarely know who fitted the boiler, when it was last serviced, or whether the previous occupier took their cooker off the bayonet safely. HSE notes that people moving out can leave open pipe ends or a turned off emergency control valve. A check in your first weeks gives you a baseline: the pipework is gas tight, each appliance burns safely, and you know where your meter and emergency control valve are. Ask the seller or landlord for the boiler's Building Regulations Compliance Certificate too, so you know it was notified when it was fitted. If there is no certificate, the check will at least show whether the installation looks right today.

Letting a spare room is common in London, and it can change your duties. If you take rent from someone living in your home, take advice on whether the landlord gas safety rules apply to you, and treat the yearly check as the safe default. The engineer will check the same things either way, and you get a written record you can show if asked.