How can I check a gas engineer’s Gas Safe registration?

Check the engineer and the business on the official Gas Safe Register before work starts, then compare the result with the engineer’s current photo ID card. The register confirms that the engineer is registered, but the card’s reverse shows whether they are qualified for the particular gas work involved.

Start with the name or registration number given in the quotation. Search for it on the official Gas Safe Register rather than relying on a search result, review site or photograph of a card. Check the following details:

• the registered business name matches the business arranging the work;
• the engineer’s name and photograph match the person who arrives;
• the registration is current;
• the registration number on the card matches the register; and
• the engineer is listed for the type of gas work required.

Registration applies to specific areas of work. A card may show competence for domestic boilers, appliances, pipework or other categories separately. An engineer who can service one type of appliance is not automatically qualified for every gas task. If the job involves a boiler installation, ask to see the category covering that work, not just evidence that the person is generally registered.

Ask to see the card when the engineer arrives. A registered engineer should be able to show it without hesitation. The front identifies the engineer and shows the registration details. The reverse lists the work they are qualified to undertake. Compare the name and photograph with the person at the property, especially if a business has sent someone different from the person who attended the quotation.

A business can be registered while an individual working for it still needs the correct personal qualifications. Checking only the company name is therefore not enough. Check the individual card as well. If another engineer takes over during the job, check that person’s card before gas work continues.

Do not accept an expired card, a card with a different photograph, or a registration number that does not appear on the official register. An engineer who says the details are being updated should not start gas work until the registration can be verified. If the register search produces no match, contact Gas Safe Register directly for clarification and use a different engineer until the position is clear.

Gas Safe registration confirms the legal registration and recorded competence of the engineer. It does not tell you whether the proposed boiler is suitable for the property, whether the quotation is complete or whether the work will be well planned. You still need to ask what will be installed, how the flue and condensate will be routed, what happens to the old appliance and which documents you will receive afterwards.

After boiler installation or other notifiable gas work, ask for the relevant paperwork. This may include the installation or service record and, where applicable, confirmation that the work has been notified under the Building Regulations. Keep it with the boiler documents. A landlord will also need the appropriate Gas Safety Record for a rented property.

A written quotation should identify the registered business, the engineer or team carrying out the work, the appliance involved and the work included. We provide written quotations before work starts, so the scope and cost can be checked alongside the registration details. If the quotation leaves the appliance, flue work or safety checks unclear, ask for those points to be added before accepting it.

For a boiler repair, the same check applies even when the job seems small. Gas work on an appliance, flue or associated pipework must be carried out by someone registered for that category. Electrical or plumbing work around the boiler does not remove the need for the correct gas registration.