Home / Help / Compliance and safety

Do I need a gas safety certificate for a lodger?

Last verified 23 October 2026

Generally, yes. HSE counts rooms let in private households as accommodation covered by the landlord gas safety duties, where you let under a lease or licence shorter than seven years. The gas appliances and flues you provide need a yearly check by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

HSE defines a landlord as anyone who rents out a property they own under a lease or a licence shorter than seven years. Its list of covered accommodation includes rooms in private households, bedsits, B&Bs and rented holiday accommodation. A lodger usually lives in your home under a licence, which is why letting a room in your own home can still bring the duty.

Have the check done every year, keep the record for at least two years, and give your lodger a copy within 28 days of the check, or before they move in. Keep appliances maintained in line with the manufacturer's instructions. These rules apply in Great Britain. In England, lodgers do not need the Renters' Rights Act Information Sheet, but the gas safety duty is separate.

Read next

Sources

More on compliance and safety

Keep your certificates and renewal dates in one place

VoxaMTD's paid landlord plans, from £8.99 a month, keep your gas, electrical, EPC, deposit and Right to Rent records on their own renewal cycles, with reminders. Every new account gets a 7-day free trial of the paid features when you sign up, with no card needed.

Try it now →

General information, not tax or legal advice. Rules differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.