How to check a Gas Safe engineer in 60 seconds

It is illegal for anyone who isn't on the Gas Safe Register to work on your boiler. Not frowned upon, not unwise. Illegal. And badly fitted gas work kills people every year.

Checking takes a minute and any decent engineer will expect you to do it.

The ID card

Every registered engineer carries one. It has their photo, a licence number, a start and expiry date, and, on the back, the specific types of gas work they're qualified for.

That back page matters. An engineer can be Gas Safe registered and still not be qualified for the specific job. Check that boilers are listed.

Check the number

Go to gassaferegister.co.uk and put the licence number in. It'll show you the engineer and the business they're registered with. If the name doesn't match the person in your hallway, ask why.

You can also search by postcode to find registered engineers near you, which is a useful sanity check on anyone who's quoted you.

If they won't show you

Don't let them start. There is no good reason for a genuine engineer to refuse, and every reason for a fake one to.

You can report illegal gas work to Gas Safe directly. They investigate, and it's free.

After the job

You should get a Building Regulations compliance certificate within 30 days, and the boiler should be registered with the manufacturer for the warranty. If neither arrives, chase it. Both are your installer's job, not yours.