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Heat Check: Landlords’ Responsibilities for Heating and Gas

  • Writer: Ahoud A
    Ahoud A
  • Apr 14
  • 2 min read


Wirral Gas Ltd, 2025
Wirral Gas Ltd, 2025

In the UK, landlords have a legal duty to ensure that rental properties are safe, warm, and habitable. Heating and gas safety are central to this responsibility, and both are governed by strict regulations designed to protect tenants' health and well-being.

Heating Obligations

UK landlords must provide an adequate and reliable source of heating:

  • All rental properties must have a fixed, working heating system in every occupied room. This includes central heating or fixed heaters (such as gas or electric wall heaters).

  • Heating systems must be capable of maintaining a reasonable indoor temperature—typically around 18–21°C in living areas during the colder months.

  • If the heating fails, landlords are obliged to carry out repairs promptly. A lack of heating, especially in winter, may be considered a serious hazard under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

Gas Safety Obligations

Gas safety is a legal requirement under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Landlords must:

  • Carry out an annual gas safety check on all gas appliances, flues, and pipework by a registered Gas Safe engineer.

  • Provide tenants with a copy of the Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) within 28 days of the inspection or before a new tenancy begins.

  • Keep records of gas safety checks for at least two years.

  • Ensure any necessary maintenance or repairs are completed quickly and safely.

  • Install carbon monoxide alarms in every room containing a solid fuel-burning appliance (such as a wood-burning stove or coal fire), and as of 2022, also in rooms with gas boilers.


In the UK, landlords are legally responsible for maintaining safe, warm homes. Heating systems must be in good working order, and all gas appliances must be inspected annually. Failing to meet these standards can result in penalties, fines, or prosecution. More importantly, it can endanger tenants’ safety—making compliance not only a legal requirement, but a moral obligation too.

For more information, visit our Landlord Services page.

 

 
 
 

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