Swindon · Wiltshire

Landlord Boiler and Heating Duties in Wiltshire

If you let a property anywhere in Wiltshire — Swindon included — gas safety is not optional and not advisory. Here is the legal floor.

The annual duty

Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 requires every landlord to:

1. Ensure gas appliances, fittings and flues are checked for safety every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer. 2. Keep a record of each check for at least 2 years. 3. Give a copy of the current record to each existing tenant within 28 days of the check, and to new tenants before they move in.

What the annual check is — and is not

The landlord gas safety check produces the certificate commonly called a CP12. It is a safety inspection, not a service. It will not keep your warranty valid or prevent breakdowns — an annual service does that. Many landlords book both in one visit; see our CP12 guide for the difference in detail.

Penalties

Breach of Regulation 36 is a criminal offence. The sanction is an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment, and the Health and Safety Executive prosecutes landlords for it. If a tenant is harmed, liability exposure rises sharply.

Practical compliance for Swindon landlords

• Diary the renewal 10 months in, not at expiry — access problems are the top cause of lapsed certificates.
• Send access requests in writing; keep the thread as evidence of reasonable steps.
• Book the service and the CP12 together, then keep both documents with the tenancy file.