Landlord heating responsibilities: a practical guide

As a landlord in England, you are responsible for keeping the heating and hot water in your rental property in repair and working properly, for an annual gas safety check on every gas appliance you provide, and for fitting carbon monoxide alarms where the law requires them. When something breaks, you need to fix it within a reasonable time, and loss of heating in cold weather is generally treated as urgent.

This is a practical summary for landlords in South and South West London and north Surrey, not legal advice. Housing law changes, and parts of the private rented sector rules in England are being reformed, so always check the current position on GOV.UK.

What are a landlord’s heating responsibilities?

Keeping heating and hot water in repair

Under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, landlords of most residential tenancies must keep in repair and proper working order the installations for space heating and heating water, along with water, gas, electricity and sanitation. In practice, that means the boiler, radiators, pipework, controls and hot water cylinder are your responsibility, not your tenant’s.

Your tenant is responsible for using the system sensibly and reporting problems promptly. Simple user tasks, such as topping up the boiler pressure or bleeding a radiator, can reasonably be done by tenants if they are comfortable, and it helps to leave clear instructions. Our guide on repressurising a combi boiler is a good one to share.

The annual gas safety check

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 require landlords to:

1. Have every gas appliance, fitting and flue you provide checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
2. Give a copy of the gas safety record to existing tenants after the check, and to new tenants before they move in. Check GOV.UK or the HSE for the exact time limits.
3. Keep records of each check for the period the regulations require.
4. Keep appliances maintained in a safe condition between checks.

Our landlord gas safety certificate guide explains what the check covers and what happens if an appliance fails.

Carbon monoxide and smoke alarms

Since 1 October 2022, landlords in England must:

• Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation that has a fixed combustion appliance, such as a gas boiler or wood burner. Gas cookers are excluded.
• Fit at least one smoke alarm on each storey used as living accommodation.
• Repair or replace an alarm once told it is faulty.

Many landlords also check alarms work on the first day of each new tenancy. See our guide to carbon monoxide signs and alarms for where to fit them.

Annual servicing

The gas safety check and a full boiler service are different things. The safety check confirms appliances are safe. A boiler service also cleans and maintains the boiler, which keeps manufacturer warranties valid and reduces mid-winter breakdowns. Booking both on one visit saves arranging access twice.

How quickly must a landlord fix the heating?

There is no single fixed deadline that covers every private tenancy in England. The general rule is that repairs must be done within a reasonable time after you are told about the problem, and what is reasonable depends on how serious it is.

Problem	Typical expectation
No heating or hot water in cold weather	Urgent, ideally within 24 hours
Suspected gas leak or carbon monoxide	Emergency. Tenant calls 0800 111 999 immediately
Leak causing damage	Urgent
Partial loss, such as one cold radiator	Prompt, within days rather than weeks
Minor faults	Within a reasonable period

These are common good-practice expectations, not legal time limits. Separate rules, including Awaab’s Law timescales for hazards in social housing, set specific deadlines in some cases, and the government has said similar requirements will be extended to private renting. Check GOV.UK for what currently applies to your tenancy.

If a repair will take time, for example while a boiler part is on order, providing temporary electric heaters and keeping your tenant informed is good practice and helps show you are acting reasonably.

Arranging access with tenants

Tenants have the right to live in the property undisturbed, so you need to arrange access properly.

1. Give written notice. At least 24 hours’ notice for routine visits such as a gas safety check or service is the usual requirement. Check your tenancy agreement too.
2. Offer reasonable times and work with your tenant’s schedule.
3. Keep a record of every attempt to arrange access, including emails and letters.
4. In a genuine emergency, such as a gas leak or flooding, access may be needed sooner.

If a tenant refuses access for a gas safety check, keep records of your attempts. HSE guidance explains what landlords should do, and showing you took all reasonable steps matters.

Keeping it simple

• Put the gas safety check and boiler service dates in your diary every year
• Keep certificates, service records and alarm checks in one place
• Give tenants a short heating guide and your emergency contact number
• Use one trusted Gas Safe engineer who knows the property

When to call an engineer

• The heating or hot water has failed
• The gas safety check or service is due
• Your tenant reports a fault code, pressure loss, leak or noise
• Any CO alarm goes off or appliance shows warning signs. The tenant should leave and call 0800 111 999 first

We work with landlords across the area, from Wandsworth to Croydon. Book a landlord gas safety certificate or a boiler repair, or call Lee on 020 8050 5913. We offer a 24/7 emergency call-out, 365 days a year, and our rates are on the prices page.