Guide · who to call
Gas problem? Who to call, and when
Gas problems go to different people depending on what's wrong, and calling the right one first saves time, and sometimes much more. Here's how to route the common ones.
Short answer
A smell of gas or suspected leak: the gas emergency number, 0800 111 999. A carbon monoxide alarm or symptoms: fresh air and urgent medical advice. An appliance fault with no smell: a Gas Safe engineer registered for that appliance, or your landlord if you rent. Supply, meter or bill: your gas supplier. No gas safety record: your landlord, then HSE.
Emergencies
When it can't wait
A smell of gas. HSE's advice: call the gas emergency number, 0800 111 999; open all doors and windows; shut off the gas at the meter control valve if you know where it is. Don't use an appliance you suspect is unsafe.
A carbon monoxide alarm, or symptoms. Stop using fuel-burning appliances, get fresh air, and if anyone has symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, breathlessness or nausea, seek urgent medical advice from a GP or A&E, as HSE advises. If you can also smell gas, call 0800 111 999.
In either case, once everyone is safe, tell your landlord if you rent.
Everything else
Non-emergency gas problems
| Problem | Owner-occupier calls | Tenant calls |
|---|---|---|
| Boiler not working, no smell | Gas Safe engineer registered for boilers | Landlord or agent |
| Gas fire or cooker fault | Gas Safe engineer registered for that appliance | Landlord, if they provided it |
| No gas supply, meter fault, prepayment problem | Gas supplier | Gas supplier, and tell the landlord |
| High bills | Supplier; consider a boiler service | Supplier; ask the landlord about servicing |
| No current gas safety record | Not applicable | Landlord in writing, then HSE (form LGSR1) |
| Worry about an engineer's work | The engineer, then the Gas Safe Register | Landlord, then the Gas Safe Register |
Choosing the engineer
When an engineer is the answer
For faults, servicing and installation, the right person is a Gas Safe registered engineer whose registration covers the appliance. Check the ID card and the register before work starts. HSE advises checking that the engineer is competent in that specific area of gas work. See checking an engineer.
If you rent, don't book an engineer yourself for the landlord's appliances unless the landlord agrees; the landlord is responsible for repairs and for choosing the engineer.
Avoid
Who not to call
- An unregistered handyman for any gas work: it's illegal and dangerous.
- A number from an unsolicited text or call offering "emergency gas repairs".
- Anyone who says they can reconnect an appliance the emergency service has capped off without checking it.
For anything to do with a gas smell, the only number you need is 0800 111 999.
Be ready
Keep the numbers to hand
Put three things where everyone in the household can find them: the gas emergency number, 0800 111 999; your gas supplier's contact details; and, if you rent, your landlord's or agent's emergency contact. Add the details of a Gas Safe engineer you've used and checked, if you're an owner. Five minutes now saves a frantic search when the boiler stops on a cold night.
Afterwards
Keep a record
Whoever you call, note the date, who you spoke to and what they said, and keep any paperwork they leave: an emergency engineer's note, a repair record, a warning label notice. If problems recur, that record makes the next conversation much easier. See smell gas: what to do and carbon monoxide safety.
Unsure?
If you're not sure which it is
If you're not sure whether something is an emergency, treat any smell of gas as one and call 0800 111 999. For anything else you're unsure about, stop using the appliance and ask a Gas Safe registered engineer, or your landlord if you rent. HSE's rule is simple and worth remembering: it's illegal for anyone to use a gas appliance they suspect is unsafe. You won't be criticised for calling the emergency line about a smell that turns out to be nothing.
Landlord problems
When the landlord doesn’t respond
If you rent and your landlord doesn't respond to a gas problem, put it in writing again, keep copies, and set a reasonable date for a reply. If there's no current gas safety record, HSE says you can report it using its form LGSR1. If heating has been disconnected and you've no emergency heating, contact your local authority's housing team for advice. Social tenants should use their council's or housing association's complaints process if repairs aren't made.
Never try to reconnect or repair a gas appliance yourself to get round a slow landlord. It's illegal and dangerous, and it can make you responsible for anything that goes wrong.
Owners
For owner-occupiers
If you own your home, you're responsible for your own gas appliances. Keep a checked engineer's details handy, book the annual service HSE advises, and fit carbon monoxide alarms where you have fuel-burning appliances. If you let a room to a lodger, remember that HSE treats you as a landlord for gas safety, with the annual check that brings.
Write the first steps for a gas smell somewhere obvious, such as inside a kitchen cupboard door: call 0800 111 999, open doors and windows, turn off at the meter if you can. In a moment of panic, a short written list is easier to follow than a memory, and it helps visitors and children know what to do too.
And if you're ever in doubt about whether a gas appliance is safe, don't use it until a Gas Safe registered engineer has checked it. That one rule, from HSE, covers most situations this page describes.
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Sources used on this page
- Domestic gas: frequently asked questions · HSE (3 November 2026)
- Carbon monoxide poisoning · HSE (3 November 2026)
- Landlords’ responsibility for gas safety · HSE (3 November 2026)
- Gas Safe Register and the engineer ID card · HSE (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.