If you’re buying a home you should be aware that most homebuyer surveys do not include a gas safety check. It is not included in Home Information Packs (HIPs) either, which are a legal requirement if you’re selling a property.
It is up to you to be gas safe, so make sure you ask the vendor for a gas safety certificate or arrange a gas safety check yourself.
Homebuyers cannot always be sure when the gas appliances in their new home were last checked and serviced.
Ask your vendor for a gas safety certificate which shows that a CORGI registered installer (before April 1 2009) or a Gas Safe registered engineer (after April 1st 2009) has checked the gas appliances.
If your vendor cannot supply an up to date gas safety certificate, get a Gas Safe registered engineer to check the gas appliances. This check should include the gas boiler, oven, hob and gas fires.
The registered engineer will give the vendor a gas safety certificate which they should handover to you before you move in.
It is important to have gas appliances checked before you move into your new home because of the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning from poorly maintained or incorrectly installed gas appliances.