The document people call a gas safety certificate is, in the regulations, a record of the annual check. It names the engineer and their registration number, lists the appliances and flues inspected, records the results and any defects, and is dated. There is no national template that makes it official: what makes it valid is a registered engineer and an accurate record.
What has to be on it
The date of the check, the address, the engineer's name, signature and registration number, a description of each appliance and its location, the results for each, any defects and the action taken, and confirmation the flues and safety devices were tested.
How often
Annually for let property. The check must be carried out at intervals of no more than twelve months, and the regulations allow a check up to two months before the deadline while keeping the original anniversary date, which is what the grace period people ask about refers to.
Getting it to the tenant
Existing tenants must receive a copy within twenty eight days of the check, and new tenants at the start of the tenancy. Where a property is let for under twenty eight days, the record can be displayed instead.
Scotland and the rest of Great Britain
The regulations apply across Great Britain, so a landlord in Scotland has the same annual duty as one in England or Wales. What differs is the wider tenancy law around it, not the gas duty, so a Scottish landlord searching for a certificate is searching for exactly the same record as one in England.
Questions people ask about gas safety certificate
How often do you need a gas safety certificate?
Every twelve months for a let property. The check can be done in the two months before the anniversary without losing the original date.
Is there a grace period?
There is no grace after the deadline. What exists is the ability to check early, up to two months in advance, and keep the same anniversary. After the anniversary you are in breach.
Do homeowners need one?
No legal duty, though many buy an annual check anyway, and buyers and insurers increasingly ask for recent records.