Can You Transfer a Gas Safety Certificate Between Properties?

A gas safety certificate is mandatory for every rented-out property that uses gas appliances. Under the provisions of the gas safety regulations, obtaining a gas safety certificate is the responsibility of the landlords. Using gas in a residential or commercial unit is a usual practice. 

Using gas for domestic or commercial purposes is safe but risk is always there, in the shape of gas leaks and carbon monoxide poisoning. Leaking gas may result in fire or explosions. Every year, many such gas accidents are reported, which also involve injuries and deaths. Given these potential threats, the use of gas is regulated in the UK under the "Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998" and its further amendments, as made from time to time.

 This law binds the landlords to conduct annual gas safety inspections and obtain a gas safety certificate for their rented-out properties. This certificate is valid for 12 months and needs renewal yearly. In this context, we often come across a query, whether the gas safety certificate can be transferred among different properties. The question and its answer are simple, but it is quite an interesting query. To reach a clear and precise answer, first, we need to know, what is a gas safety certificate.

The Gas Safety Certificate – An Insight

The prevalent gas safety law legally binds landlords to ensure the safety of their properties and tenants against the possible threats of using gas as an energy source. The regulations require that every property must be inspected for gas safety on an annual basis.

Upon completing this inspection, the gas safety certificate is given to the landlords. Most importantly, the annual inspection of the property for gas safety checks can only be performed by a gas safety engineer, who must be registered with the "Gas Safe Register." Only a gas-safe registered engineer can issue a "Gas Safety Certificate."

So, the gas safety certificate is a document that proves that the property has passed the gas safety inspection and that all the gas appliances installed in that particular property are safe for use. The information in the gas safety certificates is quite relevant and specific to the property inspected for gas safety.

A gas safety certificate should essentially have the following information:

• The official “Gas Safe Register” logo is on the top of the certificate.
• Name and ID number of the gas safe registered engineer, alongside his contact number.
• Date of annual gas safety inspection.
• Complete address of the property inspected. 
• Name, contact number, and address of the landlord or their representative. 
• List of the gas appliances and allied fittings inspected by the gas safe registered engineer. 
• The precise location of the gas appliances within the property.
• Findings of the gas safe registered engineer about the performance status of all inspected gas appliances.
• Status of the gas appliances, whether “Safe for Use” or “Not Fit for Use.” 
• The appliances marked “Not Fit for Use” are categorized under:
  • Immediately Dangerous (ID) 
  • At Risk (AR) 
  • Not to Current Standards (NCS)
• The expiry date of the gas safety certificate is also mentioned on it.
• Any particular gas safety issue, if detected. 
• Signature with date, by the gas safe registered engineer, who inspected the property and issued this certificate. 

Transferring a Gas Safety Certificate Between Properties

No, you cannot transfer a gas safety certificate between properties. The contents of the gas safety certificate, as explained above, clearly reflect that the certificate is property and appliance-specific. So, it is clear that the gas safety certificates cannot be transferred to other properties. Even though one landlord may possess more than one property, the gas safety certificate issued for one property cannot be transferred to the different properties of the same landlord. 

The following factors will further elaborate on why a gas safety certificate cannot be transferred to other properties:

• The gas safety certificate is issued after the successful inspection of a particular property and gas appliances installed therein. So, each property has to be inspected for gas safety and issuance of a gas safety certificate.
• The prevalent gas safety regulations legally bind the landlords to arrange an inspection of each rented out property to issue safety certificates. Accordingly, it is expected that the landlords would comply with this legal requirement for all the properties in their possession. So, transferring an already issued gas safety certificate to some other property is irrelevant. Each property has to undergo gas safety inspection, separately. 
• The annual gas safety inspection is not only property-specific but also appliance-specific. The annual inspection is conducted on a particular property, but within that property, the inspection is carried out on each gas appliance, including flues and boilers. Different properties may have varying numbers of gas appliances. Moreover, each property may have gas appliances of various make, models, and brands. So, the gas safety certificate for each property will have the specific details of the gas appliances mentioned therein.
• It is also a mandatory requirement under the provisions of the gas safety regulations that the gas safety inspection must be carried out annually on every rented-out property where one or more gas appliances or fittings are installed. It means each property must undergo this obligatory annual gas safety inspection.
• Each individual rented out property must have a valid gas safety certificate. So, transferring a current gas safety certificate across different properties is impossible. 
• If you transfer a gas safety certificate issued for one property to another, the gas appliances installed in this property will be left uninspected. In this scenario, the gas appliances installed in the new property may pose serious safety problems for the tenants.
• The landlords must provide the tenants with a copy of the valid gas safety certificate within 48 hours. The gas safety certificate issued for a particular property will have its complete address mentioned on it. So, it would not be appropriate to provide a copy of the gas safety certificate to the tenants, which was issued for another property.
• The Gas Safe Register does not allow such transfer under any circumstances. So, any such attempt would be considered illegal and unauthorized, which may attract penalties and legal proceedings.
• Being a legal requirement, every property must have its own gas safety check record or gas safety certificate (CP12). Failing to do so may attract penalties. That's why each property must undergo an annual gas safety inspection and get a valid gas safety certificate to avoid legal proceedings and fines.

So, transferring a gas certificate issued for one property to any other property is not allowed under any circumstances. Any attempt to do so may attract the initiation of legal proceedings. 

Conclusion 

Ensuring safety against gas hazards is the responsibility of the landlords of the rented-out properties. Every property in its possession needs to be inspected by a gas safe registered engineer annually for the issuance of a gas safety certificate. This certificate is valid for one year (12 months) and needs renewal before expiry. This legal requirement applies to each property, even if owned by one landlord.

Therefore, the gas safety certificate is issued for a specific property after a detailed inspection of all the gas appliances installed in it. So, transferring a gas safety certificate issued for one property to another is impossible, even if the same landlord owns it. Above that, the gas safety certificate is also appliance-specific. It contains the details of all the gas appliances installed on the property. So, it cannot be transferred to another property, as that property would have a different set of gas appliances altogether.

So, you cannot transfer a gas safety certificate between properties.