Guide · tenants
Gas safety for tenants in Liverpool: your rights
More than half of Liverpool households rent: 26.1% privately and 26.4% from a council or housing association, Census 2021 shows. If that's you, the law puts specific gas safety duties on your landlord. Here's what you're entitled to, and what to do if it doesn't happen.
Short answer
Your landlord must have the gas appliances and flues it provides checked every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer and give you a copy of the record within 28 days, or before you move in. In England, a carbon monoxide alarm is required in rooms with a fixed combustion appliance (not gas cookers). If you don't have a current record, you can report it to HSE.
What you're entitled to
The landlord's duties, from your side
- An annual check of every gas appliance and flue the landlord provides, by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
- A copy of the record within 28 days of the check if you already live there, or before you move in if you're new. Electronic is fine if you agree, but you can ask for paper.
- Safe pipework, maintained by the landlord, even if you've brought your own appliance.
- Alarms: since 1 October 2022, a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation with a fixed combustion appliance, excluding gas cookers, and a smoke alarm on every storey.
Your part
What tenants are responsible for
Appliances you own yourself, such as a cooker you brought with you, are your responsibility, though the landlord still looks after the pipework. If your landlord sells you an appliance, it becomes yours to check and maintain. Let the engineer in for the annual check, and report faults promptly.
Don't use any gas appliance you think is unsafe; HSE says that's illegal. And never block vents or air bricks, which some appliances need to burn safely.
Problems and steps
If something isn't right
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| You smell gas | Call 0800 111 999, open windows, turn off at the meter if you can; then tell the landlord |
| No copy of the gas safety record | Ask the landlord or agent in writing; if there's no current record, report to HSE (form LGSR1) |
| No carbon monoxide alarm by a boiler or gas fire | Ask the landlord in writing to fit one |
| Heating disconnected as unsafe | The landlord must provide emergency heating while it's repaired; your local authority can advise |
| An appliance labelled "Danger, Do Not Use" | Don't use it; ask the landlord in writing when it will be fixed |
Putting it in writing
How to raise it
Phone first if it's urgent, then follow up by email or letter so there's a record. Say what the problem is, when it started, and what you're asking for: the record, an alarm, a repair, emergency heating. Keep copies of everything, including photos.
If you rent from a council or housing association, use its repairs or complaints process; social landlords have the same gas safety duties. If you rent privately and get nowhere, your local authority's housing team can advise, and HSE accepts reports where there's no current gas safety record.
Common worries
"Will complaining cause trouble?"
Asking for a copy of a record the landlord is legally required to give you is reasonable, and most landlords will simply send it. Gas safety isn't optional, and an appliance that's unsafe is a risk to you and your neighbours. If you're worried about how a landlord might react, get advice early from your local authority or Citizens Advice before things escalate.
Short stays
Lodgers, students and holiday lets
If you rent a room in someone's home and pay them rent, HSE treats them as a landlord for gas safety, so the annual check applies. In shared and student accommodation, displaying a legible copy of the record prominently can be enough, but you must be told where it is and how to get your own copy. For stays under 28 days, such as holiday lets, a prominently displayed copy is allowed instead.
Moving
Starting and ending a tenancy
When you move in, ask for the gas safety record before you sign or at least before moving day, and check that it's in date and covers every appliance. When you move out, leave any appliance you own disconnected safely by a registered engineer, or agree with the landlord that it stays. See moving into a rented home and reading the record.
In Liverpool
Why this matters here
Liverpool's rented sector is larger than England's: 26.1% of households rent privately and 26.4% socially, against 20.5% and 17.1% nationally (Census 2021). With most homes heated by mains gas, the gas safety record is one of the most important documents many Liverpool households hold. If you've never seen yours, ask for it. See Liverpool homes and heating.
Your records
Keep your own file
Keep a simple file for the tenancy: each gas safety record you receive, emails to and from the landlord about repairs, photos of any problems, and notes of calls. If a dispute ever arises about repairs, deposits or safety, a tidy record is far more persuasive than memory. It also helps if you move out and a future landlord asks for a reference.
If you share a home, agree who keeps the copy and make sure everyone knows where the gas meter and its control valve are.
If you're unsure whether something is your landlord's responsibility, ask in writing and keep the reply.
Knowing your rights makes those conversations shorter and calmer for everyone involved.
Sources used on this page
- Domestic gas: frequently asked questions · HSE (3 November 2026)
- Gas safety check records and what to keep · HSE (3 November 2026)
- Gas safety checks: who needs them · HSE (3 November 2026)
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm regulations: Q&A for the private rented sector · GOV.UK (3 November 2026)
- Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022: guidance · GOV.UK (3 November 2026)
- Census 2021 TS054, tenure, 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.