Most landlords know they need a Gas Safety certificate. Far fewer know what comes next: the legal obligation to give their tenant a copy, and to keep proof they did.
This distinction has become more important since the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Here is what you actually need to do, and why the evidence trail matters.
The two separate obligations
There are two distinct legal requirements for landlords with gas appliances:
1. Have the certificate
You must arrange an annual Gas Safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer. This is the check. The CP12 is the document it produces.
2. Give your tenant a copy
You must give your tenant their own copy of the Gas Safety certificate within 28 days of each annual check, and before any new tenant moves in.
What is proof of service?
Proof of service means evidence that you gave your tenant their copy of the certificate. Not just that you had the certificate, that you gave it to them.
This matters because in a dispute, an enforcement inspection, or a compliance check, the question may not be "do you have a valid Gas Safety certificate?" It may be "can you prove you gave your tenant their copy?"
Without proof of service, you are relying on memory, goodwill, and the hope that no one asks.
Why this matters now more than ever
The Renters' Rights Act 2025, which received Royal Assent in October 2025 and came into full force in May 2026, significantly strengthened enforcement powers:
- Civil penalties for landlords found in breach of housing obligations can reach £40,000
- Local authorities have increased enforcement resources
- Section 21 no-fault eviction has been abolished. Landlords who need to recover a property must use Section 8 grounds, which require demonstrated compliance with housing obligations, including the serving of compliance documents
The compliance documentation you keep is now more consequential than it has ever been.
How landlords typically handle this, and where it goes wrong
Email with PDF attached
The most common approach. Functional, but relies on the landlord remembering to do it, and keeping the sent email somewhere findable years later.
In person at the start of a tenancy
Fine for the initial copy, but the gas certificate must be renewed annually. Each renewal requires a fresh copy to be given to the tenant. Many landlords do the check but forget to send the updated certificate.
Stored in a folder
Proves you have the certificate. Proves nothing about delivery.
What good proof of service looks like
The strongest evidence is a timestamped record that the tenant received and opened the document:
- Sent email with PDF: provides evidence of sending, but does not confirm the tenant opened it
- Tenant acknowledgement in writing: stronger, but in practice most tenants do not reply to compliance emails
- PropCert tenant sharing link: sends your tenant a secure link to the certificate, and logs the date and time they view it. The access record is stored automatically in your dashboard, no chasing, no filing required
Which certificates must be given to tenants?
| Certificate | Must give tenant a copy | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Gas Safety (CP12) | Yes | Within 28 days of each annual check, before move-in |
| EPC | Yes | Before tenancy begins |
| EICR | Yes | Within 28 days of new EICR being issued, before move-in |
The practical upshot
If you are a landlord who gets the Gas Safety check done each year, stores the certificate somewhere, but cannot quickly show proof that you gave the tenant their copy, then you have the certificate but not the protection.
The simplest fix: send the certificate by email immediately after each check, keep the sent email in a dedicated folder per property, and note the date you sent it.
If you would rather have it done automatically and logged without any filing: that is what PropCert is for.