The landlord mistake repeated every year

The email always arrives at an awkward moment. A tenant reports a “gas smell, but only sometimes”, or an engineer asks for access you haven’t arranged, and suddenly you’re rummaging through old PDFs for the landlord gas safety certificate (cp12). Gas safety inspections aren’t just admin: they’re the legal proof your property’s appliances and flues were checked properly, and they’re one of the fastest ways to turn a calm tenancy into a mess if you get the timing wrong.

I’ve watched good landlords repeat the same mistake every year: they treat the CP12 like a car MOT-something you do after it expires. The problem is that, in a rented home, “a bit late” isn’t a harmless slip. It’s a compliance gap, and it can unravel everything from tenant trust to insurance and enforcement.

The mistake: letting the certificate expire, even by a day

A landlord will often say, “It’s booked in for next week, so we’re covered.” They’re usually being responsible in spirit. They’re still not covered in law.

A CP12 is valid for 12 months. If you allow it to lapse, you have a period where you can’t prove a current check is in place. And because gas is one of the few hazards that can turn catastrophic with no warning, regulators treat “expired” as a serious failure, not a clerical one.

There’s also a psychological trap at play. The check feels routine, so it gets scheduled around holidays, voids, boiler repairs, “when the tenant is in”, and suddenly the date has drifted.

Why it keeps happening (even to organised people)

Most landlords don’t miss it out of laziness. They miss it because the system has friction in all the wrong places.

• Access is unpredictable. Tenants work shifts, ignore messages, or don’t want a stranger in the home.
• Engineers get booked up. Autumn and early winter fill fast, especially when boilers start failing.
• People file the PDF and forget the date. The document is easy to store and oddly easy to stop thinking about.
• Everyone assumes a grace period exists. There isn’t a “close enough” rule that rescues you after expiry.

And then there’s the classic moment: you remember the CP12 when you’re already dealing with something else-rent reviews, leaks, a tenancy renewal-so it becomes another spinning plate.

What “doing it right” actually looks like

The cleanest approach is to treat the CP12 as a rolling annual cycle, not a panic appointment. Book early enough that a failed first visit doesn’t automatically push you past expiry.

A practical rhythm that works in real houses, with real tenants:

1. Check the expiry date now (not “later”), and set reminders at 8 weeks and 4 weeks.
2. Book the engineer 4–6 weeks ahead, not two days.
3. Confirm tenant availability in writing and offer two time windows, not an open-ended “when suits”.
4. Plan for a second visit if access fails or parts are needed.
5. Send the new record promptly once completed, and store it where you can find it in ten seconds.

The point isn’t perfection. It’s removing the single point of failure where one missed appointment equals non-compliance.

The hidden knock-on effects of an expired CP12

Even if nothing “happens”, the consequences tend to show up sideways.

An expired certificate can complicate:

• Tenant relations. If they feel you’re casual about gas, they become cautious about everything else you do.
• Complaint and enforcement risk. One report can trigger attention you didn’t plan for.
• Repairs and emergencies. When a boiler fails, contractors and insurers can ask uncomfortable questions about your compliance history.
• Sale or re-mortgage admin. A missing or out-of-date paper trail slows everything down at the worst time.

This is why the annual repeat mistake is so frustrating. It’s not just about one inspection. It’s about how that one slip can make you look unreliable, even if the property is otherwise well run.

A simple checklist that prevents the annual scramble

The boring stuff is usually what saves you.

• Put the expiry date in your calendar and your agent’s system (if you use one).
• Keep a single “Compliance” folder per property (CP12, EPC, EICR, alarms).
• Ask the engineer to email the record same day and keep a backup copy in cloud storage.
• If access fails, document every attempt-texts, emails, proposed dates-so you can show you acted promptly and reasonably.
• Don’t stack it in winter if you can avoid it. Spring and summer bookings are calmer, and you’ll get more choice.

The quiet lesson landlords only learn once

Gas safety is one of those areas where you don’t get credit for good intentions. You get credit for dates, paperwork, access logs, and doing the dull thing early enough that it never becomes dramatic.

And if you’re thinking, “I’ll deal with it next week,” that’s usually the exact moment the calendar starts to beat you.

FAQ:

• Do I need a new CP12 every year even if nothing has changed? Yes. The landlord gas safety certificate (cp12) must be renewed at least every 12 months for relevant gas appliances and flues in a rental property.
• What if the tenant won’t allow access for gas safety inspections? You still need to take all reasonable steps: propose multiple appointments, keep written evidence of contact attempts, and escalate appropriately. Don’t wait until after the certificate expires to start trying.
• Is an inspection “booked” enough if the certificate has expired? No. Booking shows intent, but you’re expected to have a current record in place. Treat expiry as a hard deadline.
• Do I have to give the tenant a copy? In practice, yes-you should provide the record promptly after the check (and keep your own copy). It’s part of maintaining a clear compliance trail.