HEATING AND PLUMBING
Gas safety checks done early: how the two-month rule keeps the date
Landlord gas safety checks are annual, but they don’t have to land on the same day each year. HSE’s guidance lets the check be done up to two months before the deadline while the landlord keeps the original deadline. Used properly, that window spreads the work out and stops every renewal drifting earlier each year.
How the rule works
- The deadline is 12 months after the previous check.
- A check done in the two months before that deadline counts as if it were done on the deadline, so the next deadline is 12 months after the old one.
- A check done more than two months early resets the clock: the next deadline is 12 months from the check itself.
- Existing tenants still get a copy of the record within 28 days of the check, and new tenants before they move in.
- When the early window is used, the landlord keeps the record until two further checks have been done, so they can show the dates add up.
A worked example
Say a property’s deadline is 1 March 2027. The early window opens on 1 January 2027. A check on 15 January 2027 is inside the window, so the next deadline is 1 March 2028. A check on 20 December 2026 is more than two months early, so the next deadline becomes 20 December 2027, and the landlord has lost ten weeks.
Where the dates go wrong
Most systems work out the next date by adding 12 months to the date of the check. That’s right for a check done on or near the deadline, but for any check done early it moves the deadline earlier than it needs to be. Do that every year and a property that started in March ends up due in January. Each early check costs the landlord a little time, and the firm ends up doing next year’s work earlier than it had to.
The fix is to store the deadline, not just the check date. When the next check is booked, the new deadline is 12 months after the old deadline if the check falls inside the window, and 12 months after the check otherwise.
Using the window on purpose
- Send the first reminder about eight weeks before the deadline, so the landlord can book inside the window.
- Offer dates from the start of the window, not the last fortnight, so a missed appointment still has time to be rebooked.
- Record both the check date and the deadline it was done against, which is what the landlord needs to keep the record.
To check a single property, the certificate due date calculator works out the new deadline from the old one. For a whole list, the free certificate renewal tracker flags what’s overdue or coming due. If you’d like the reminders sent for you, see what we build for heating and plumbing firms.