Does a New Boiler Need a Gas Safety Certificate? CP12 vs. Warranty
No. A brand new boiler does not come with a Gas Safety Certificate (CP12). Gas Safe Register posts you a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate once the installer notifies the job, and the installer hands you a signed Benchmark checklist. No certificate in the post? Here is how to check.
Three Different Terms, Three Different Meanings
When you own a gas boiler, you will hear several important terms: Gas Safety Certificate, Gas Safe registration, and boiler warranty. It is easy to mix them up, but each serves a distinct purpose. Understanding the difference is crucial for your safety, legal compliance, and protecting your investment.
What is a Gas Safety Certificate (CP12)?
A Gas Safety Certificate, often called a CP12, is a formal record of an inspection. A Gas Safe registered engineer checks all gas appliances and fittings in a property to confirm they are safe to use. The certificate lists each item checked and confirms it meets safety standards.
This certificate is a legal requirement for landlords who must have an annual check done on their rental properties. For homeowners, while it is not a legal requirement, getting an annual gas safety check is a very good practice for peace of mind and maintaining a safe home.
What is a Gas Safe Registration Number?
This is entirely different from a certificate. A Gas Safe registration number proves that an individual engineer or a company is legally qualified and permitted to work on gas appliances. It is illegal for anyone to do gas work if they are not on the Gas Safe Register.
You should always check an engineer's Gas Safe ID card before they start any work. This registration is about the person doing the work, while a Gas Safety Certificate is the document produced after a safety inspection.
What is a Boiler Warranty?
A boiler warranty is a manufacturer's promise to repair or replace your boiler if certain faults develop within a set period, typically several years. It is a product guarantee, not a safety document. Crucially, most manufacturer warranties have strict conditions to be valid. How long that period runs varies by manufacturer and model; see how long a boiler warranty lasts.
The most important condition is usually that the boiler must be installed by a Gas Safe registered engineer who also completes the Benchmark checklist. The Benchmark is a logbook that comes with new boilers. The installer must fill it in to confirm the boiler was commissioned correctly. Without a completed Benchmark, the manufacturer's warranty is often void.
How They All Fit Together
Think of these three elements as parts of a safe and secure boiler system. First, you use a Gas Safe registered engineer to install your new boiler. They complete the Benchmark checklist to activate your manufacturer's warranty.
Then, each year, you or your landlord should book a gas safety check with a Gas Safe registered engineer. They will issue a Gas Safety Certificate if everything is safe. The certificate does not affect your warranty, and your warranty does not replace the need for annual safety checks.
Keeping them separate in your mind ensures you take the right steps: hire legally registered professionals, protect your warranty, and maintain annual safety checks for ongoing peace of mind.
Key Points to Remember
- Gas Safe Registration: The legal qualification of the engineer. Always check their ID card.
- Benchmark Checklist: A commissioning document filled out during installation. Essential for validating the boiler warranty.
- Boiler Warranty: The manufacturer's guarantee, dependent on correct installation and Benchmark completion.
- Gas Safety Certificate (CP12): The record of an annual safety inspection, a legal requirement for landlords.
Does a brand new boiler need a gas safety certificate?
No. A new boiler is not issued with a Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) when it is fitted, and a homeowner does not need one. What matters at installation is that the work is done by a Gas Safe registered engineer and notified under Building Regulations. The engineer commissions the boiler, records the readings on the Benchmark checklist and notifies the job through Gas Safe Register, which then sends a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate to the householder.
The exception is a rented home. The new boiler has to be covered by the landlord's annual gas safety check, and plenty of landlords ask for a check at the same visit so the record is current from day one. Ask for that when you book, because it is a separate document from the installation paperwork.
What a boiler installation certificate looks like
When people talk about "the boiler certificate" they usually mean one of three documents, and it helps to know which one you are holding.
- Building Regulations Compliance Certificate: issued by Gas Safe Register rather than by the engineer, and posted to the address where the boiler was fitted once the installer has notified the job. It lists the property address, the appliance installed and the date, with a reference number.
- Benchmark commissioning checklist: filled in and signed by the installer on the day, usually in the back of the boiler's installation manual. It records the combustion readings, gas rate, and how the system was cleaned and protected. This is the one a manufacturer asks for on a warranty claim.
- Landlord Gas Safety Record (CP12): a list of every gas appliance in the property with the result of the safety checks on each. It is only produced when a gas safety check is carried out, not at installation.
How to check your boiler is registered with Gas Safe
If the compliance certificate never arrived, do not assume the job was notified. Contact Gas Safe Register with the installation address: they can tell you whether the work was notified and arrange a replacement certificate if it was. If it was not, go back to the installer first, because notification is their responsibility and it is usually quick to put right while the job is recent. A missing certificate tends to surface at the worst moment, when a buyer's solicitor asks for it during a sale.
It is the business and the engineer who are registered with Gas Safe, not the boiler itself. You can check any engineer on the Gas Safe Register website or ask to see their ID card, which shows the categories of gas work they are qualified for.
Paperwork checklist for installation day
- A signed Benchmark checklist with the commissioning readings filled in
- The boiler's user manual and warranty registration details
- Confirmation that the job will be notified through Gas Safe, followed by the compliance certificate in the post
- For a rented property, a Landlord Gas Safety Record if you asked for a check at the same visit
The warranty side is covered in our guide to the Benchmark checklist and your boiler warranty, and landlords will find the tenant-side detail in boiler replacement for landlords and HMOs. For the whole process from survey to handover, see the complete guide to new boiler installation.
Replacing a boiler in London? Our installations are carried out by Gas Safe registered engineers, commissioned against the Benchmark checklist, which you keep, and notified for Building Regulations. Book a free survey for a fixed written quote, or read about our new boiler installation service.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Gas Safety Certificate as a homeowner?
While it is not a legal requirement for homeowners like it is for landlords, having an annual gas safety check performed by a Gas Safe registered engineer is strongly recommended. It provides a record that your appliances are safe and well-maintained.
What happens if my boiler was installed without the Benchmark being completed?
If the Benchmark checklist in your boiler's logbook was not completed by the installing engineer, the manufacturer's warranty is likely to be invalid. You should contact a Gas Safe registered engineer who can inspect the installation and may be able to commission the boiler properly to rectify the situation.
How can I be sure I'm getting a trustworthy quote for a new boiler?
A reputable company will typically offer a free survey of your home first. This allows a Gas Safe registered engineer to assess your specific needs and provide a fixed-quote for the work, ensuring there are no hidden costs. Always check the engineer's Gas Safe ID card.
Does a new boiler come with a gas safety certificate?
No. A new installation comes with a signed Benchmark checklist from the installer and a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate from Gas Safe Register once the job is notified. A Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) is only produced when a separate gas safety check is carried out, which landlords need every 12 months.
What should I do if my Building Regulations certificate never arrived?
Contact Gas Safe Register with the installation address to find out whether the job was notified. If it was, you can request a replacement certificate. If it was not, ask the installer to notify it, because that is their responsibility.
Is a gas safety check the same as a boiler service?
No. A gas safety check confirms that gas appliances are safe to use and produces a safety record. A service is maintenance: the engineer cleans, checks and adjusts the boiler so it runs properly, and it is the service that manufacturers require to keep the warranty valid. Both can often be done at one visit, but they are separate jobs.