Questions
Gas safety questions, answered briefly
Sixteen common questions about gas engineers and gas safety in Liverpool homes, each answered in a line or two. The full pages carry the detail and the sources.
Short answer
Use a Gas Safe registered engineer, registered for the appliance. Service gas appliances at least annually, as HSE advises. Landlords: annual checks, copies to tenants, records for two years, and CO alarms. If you smell gas, call 0800 111 999.
Before the list
Three things behind most gas questions
Registration is the law. Gas work must be done by someone on the Gas Safe Register. See checking an engineer.
Landlords carry extra duties. With more than half of Liverpool households renting, that matters here. See landlord gas safety.
Carbon monoxide is the hidden risk. Servicing and alarms are the defence. See carbon monoxide safety.
The questions
Does a gas engineer have to be Gas Safe registered?
Yes. HSE explains that a gas business must be on the Gas Safe Register to legally carry out gas work covered by the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.
How do I check an engineer?
Ask for the ID card: photo, registration number and expiry date on the front, categories of work on the back. Then check the Gas Safe Register’s website.
Does one registration cover every appliance?
No. Engineers are registered for categories of work, such as boilers, cookers and gas fires. Check the category matches your job.
How often should gas appliances be serviced?
HSE strongly advises at least annually, by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
What must landlords do?
Have every gas appliance and flue they provide checked every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer, give tenants a copy of the record, and keep records for two years.
When do tenants get the record?
Existing tenants within 28 days of the check; new tenants before they move in.
Can a landlord do the check early?
Yes. A check up to two months before the deadline can keep the original deadline date, if the records show it.
Do I count as a landlord with a lodger?
Yes, according to HSE, if they pay you rent.
Are carbon monoxide alarms required?
In rented homes in England since 1 October 2022, in any room used as living accommodation with a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers.
What are the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning?
HSE lists headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, tiredness, chest or stomach pains, erratic behaviour, visual problems and loss of consciousness.
What should I do if I smell gas?
Call 0800 111 999, open doors and windows, and turn off at the meter control valve if you know where it is.
Can I move my gas cooker?
A free-standing cooker on a bayonet fitting can be moved temporarily to clean behind it; anything else is gas work for a registered engineer.
Is there a grant for a new gas boiler?
No. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme funds heat pumps and biomass boilers, not gas boilers, and gas boilers carry VAT at the standard rate.
Are gas boilers being banned?
There’s no confirmed date for phasing them out in existing homes. New homes in England face low-carbon heating requirements from 2027.
How many Liverpool homes use gas heating?
Census 2021 shows 77.8% of Liverpool households heating with mains gas only, against 74.0% across England.
Does this site do gas work?
No. It’s an independent guide published by SEO-DONS LTD. It doesn’t do gas work, recommend engineers, or pass your details on.
More
Where to read more
- Boiler servicing and repair or replace
- Cookers and hobs and gas fires and flues
- Smell gas: what to do and who to call
- Liverpool homes and heating
If your question isn't here, ask us. We reply by email.
Sources used on this page
- Domestic gas: frequently asked questions · HSE (3 November 2026)
- Gas Safe Register and the engineer ID card · HSE (3 November 2026)
- Landlords’ responsibility for gas safety · HSE (3 November 2026)
- Gas safety check records and what to keep · HSE (3 November 2026)
- Carbon monoxide poisoning · HSE (3 November 2026)
- Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022: guidance · GOV.UK (3 November 2026)
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme: what you can get · GOV.UK (3 November 2026)
- VAT Notice 708/6, energy-saving materials and heating equipment · HMRC (3 November 2026)
- Future Homes and Buildings Standards: consultation response, March 2026 · GOV.UK (PDF) (2 November 2026)
- Census 2021 TS046, central heating, Liverpool and England · Nomis (3 November 2026)
A question about gas work in your home?
Tell us what you're trying to sort out. Your message reaches SEO-DONS LTD, the publisher of this guide, and we answer by email. We don't do gas work or recommend engineers, but we can tell you what to check and where. If you smell gas, don't write to us: call 0800 111 999 now.
What happens next
- Your message reaches SEO-DONS LTD, which publishes this guide.
- We reply by email with the rule or check that applies.
- Any work is between you and a Gas Safe registered engineer you choose.