Understanding the Costs of Commercial Gas Safety Certificates

All commercial properties in the UK that use gas need a commercial gas safety certificate. It is a legal and mandatory requirement for the landlords of commercial properties under the currently applicable gas safety regulations. 

A gas safety certificate issued for a commercial or residential property is proof that the property in reference is gas safe. It further proves that the property was inspected for gas safety by a gas safe registered engineer during the last 12 months. Hence, the gas safety certificate, whether issued for a residential or for a commercial property, is the most important document in the hands of a landlord. It was introduced by the authorities to minimize gas accidents, which, over the years, had registered an upward trend. It was, therefore, made compulsory for the landlords to ensure that the gas appliances installed in their rented-out properties were safe for use. 

For this purpose, landlords are required to arrange gas safety inspections on all the gas appliances installed in their properties on an annual basis. On successful completion of this annual gas safety inspection, the inspecting engineer issues the Gas Safety Certificate. The landlords have to pay a certain cost for conducting this whole process. So, it is important for them to understand what cost they would be paying for getting a valid gas safety certificate for their commercial properties.

But before that, you need to understand what a gas safety certificate is and which type of certificate is required for your property. 

Commercial Gas Safety Certificate – An Insight

Getting a commercial gas safety certificate is a legal requirement for the landlords of all commercial properties where one or more gas appliances are installed. The basic law that governs the usage of gas in the UK is “Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.” It binds the landlords to arrange annual gas safety inspections on all the gas appliances installed in a commercial property, which is a pre-requisite for getting a valid commercial gas safety certificate. 

The process of getting this important document is summarized here:

• Landlords are required to arrange annual gas safety inspections on all the gas appliances installed in a commercial property. 
• The landlord of the commercial property needs to engage the services of a gas safe registered engineer. Anyone can search for a registered gas safety engineer by visiting the website of Gas Safe Register, where credentials of all registered engineers are available. 
• The engineer will visit the site of inspection on the scheduled date and time. 
• The engineer will inspect all the gas appliances and allied fittings and installations to check if they are in conformity to the gas safety standards. 
• On successful completion of the annual gas safety inspection, the gas safe registered engineer will issue the gas safety certificate for your commercial property. 
• Suppose the inspection fails due to non-compliance with the gas safety protocols. In that case, the engineer will defer the issuance of a commercial gas safety certificate till such time the faults are removed. This may involve re-inspection of the property. 
• A commercial gas safety certificate is valid for 12 months from the date of inspection. It needs renewal on an annual basis before the expiry of the current certificate. The renewal can be arranged by the landlords anytime during the last two months before the expiry of the current gas safety certificate. 
• The landlords are required to display a copy of this certificate in a prominent place on their commercial property. 
• They are also required to keep a record of annual gas safety inspections for at least two years. This may be helpful for them to prove that the property was inspected for gas safety. 

Understanding the Costs of Commercial Gas Safety Certificates

From the details mentioned above, you must have realized the importance of a commercial gas safety certificate. The next step is to understand how much it should or would cost you to get a valid gas safety certificate. The cost of a commercial gas safety certificate depends on multiple factors. But before understanding the cost factors, let’s explore what are the different types of commercial gas safety certificates. 

A gas safety certificate for a commercial property may fall under one of the following categories: 

• General purpose Commercial Gas Safety Certificate – CP17. It is required for any commercial property, has one or more gas appliances.
• Plant Room Commissioning and serving record – CP15.
• Mobile Catering Gas Safety Certificate – CP44.
• Gas Testing and Purging – CP16.
• Commercial Catering Gas Safety Certificate – CP42. It is required for Restaurants and Hotels or any other commercial business having a catering installation. This may include school kitchens, Mobile Catering Trailers, Takeaway or fast-food establishments, and Industrial Cooking arrangements. 

So, any property falling under any of the above categories will need a commercial gas safety certificate. 

Factors Affecting the Cost of a Commercial Gas Safety Certificate

The basic cost of a normal commercial gas safety certificate may start from £150 to £200 for a property having a single gas appliance. The actual cost, however, may be higher than that based on various factors, as explained below:

• Number of Gas Appliances

The cost of a commercial gas safety certificate is largely dependent on the number of gas appliances installed in the property. The more the number of gas appliances, the more will be the total cost of the gas safety certificate. The reason is that every appliance needs separate inspections, individually. 

• Type of Gas Appliances

Some of the gas appliances may require extra or specific inspection, which will have an impact on the overall cost of the annual gas safety inspection and issuance of commercial gas safety certificates. It may include gas appliances such as Commercial Cookers, Commercial Ovens, Large Fryers, Commercial Boilers and so on. For inspection of such type of gas appliances, the services of an engineer having specific expertise might be required, which will further increase the cost. 

• Size of the Property

A large commercial property would have an extensive pipe network and other related gas installations. To conduct the gas safety inspection on such large-sized properties, more work hours would be required, which will increase the cost of gas safety certificates. The more the covered area of a commercial property, the more be cost of a commercial gas safety certificate will be. 

• Type of Property

The cost of a commercial gas safety certificate is dependent on the type of property. Some commercial properties might be of a complex nature, as compared to a simple structure, like a restaurant. The cost of inspection of the property for gas safety will be more for a property having a complex structure as compared to a simple property. 

• Location of the Property

A commercial property situated at a prime urban location would be quite different from one situated in semi-urban or remote locations. The cost of gas safety certificate for a property located in London, might be higher as compared to the one situated in a far-off place. Sometimes, the cost may also be higher for a property situated in a remote area due to the cost of traveling if the engineer has to move from some nearby main location. 

• Seasonal Increase in Cost

The cost of the commercial gas safety certificate also depends on the time/season. If you need to get the property inspected in the prime winter season, you may have to pay more, due to the rush of work for the engineers. 

• Additional Services – Extra work

Suppose you need to engage the gas safety engineer for some additional jobs, such as servicing a gas appliance or fault removal. In that case, the total cost of the gas safety certificate will be increased based on the scope of the additional or extra work. 

• Qualification and Expertise of the Engineer

In case of a large property, having some specialized gas appliances, the services of a more experienced and specially qualified engineer might be required. This will have an impact on the overall cost of the gas safety certificate, as the cost of the services of a highly qualified and specially trained engineer will be higher. 

Breakdown of the Cost of Gas Safety Certificate

Normally, the total cost of a commercial gas safety certificate would include the following:

• Basic Fee for Inspection – It may include the fee of the visiting engineer, initial inspection of the appliances and basic assessment of the condition of gas appliances.
• Fee per appliance – This is the basic fee for the inspection of a single appliance. It will increase with the increase in the number of gas appliances.
• Fee for testing extra gas leaks – This will be applicable if the engineer needs extensive leak detection or testing.
• Generating the gas safety check Record – This will include compilation of the report regarding the complete inspection, recording the findings and recommendations.

Conclusion

The cost of a commercial gas safety certificate is an important consideration while initiating the process of annual gas safety inspection. Generally, the cost of a commercial gas safety certificate is higher as compared to domestic or residential gas safety certificates. On the other hand, the actual cost of a commercial gas safety certificate also varies on a case-to-case basis. 

It depends on different factors, such as the number and type of appliances, size and complexity of the properties, and the qualification and expertise of the gas safety engineer. The location of the property also has its impact on the cost of the commercial gas safety certificate. Similarly, the legal requirements for a particular property may also affect the overall cost. A missing gas safety record for the previous year will also affect the cost of the commercial gas safety certificate, as a more comprehensive inspection might be required in this case.