How to Find a Gas Safe Registered Engineer in the UK

Anyone carrying out gas work in Great Britain must be registered with Gas Safe Register, the official body appointed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Using an unregistered person to work on gas appliances is illegal under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and potentially fatal. This guide explains how to find a legitimate, competent engineer and what to expect from them.

What Is Gas Safe Register?

Gas Safe Register replaced CORGI as the official gas registration body in 2009. Every registered engineer carries a Gas Safe ID card and is licensed only for the specific type of gas work they are qualified to carry out, domestic natural gas, LPG, and commercial gas are separate qualifications.

The register is searchable at gassaferegister.co.uk/find-an-engineer, where you can search by postcode to find engineers in your area.

How to Verify an Engineer's Registration

Before any gas work begins, ask to see the engineer's Gas Safe ID card. On the back of the card is a list of the appliance categories they are licensed to work on. Check:

The expiry date is current
The card categories include the work they are about to do (e.g., central heating, boiler installation, cooker installation)

You can also verify a registration number on the Gas Safe Register website at any time, or call them on 0800 408 5500.

Do not rely solely on a company's website claiming their engineers are Gas Safe registered. Always check the individual engineer's card.

How to Find a Good Engineer

Gas Safe Register Find an Engineer Tool

The Gas Safe Register search tool is the best starting point. All results are verified registered engineers. You can filter by appliance type and postcode.

Recommendations

A personal recommendation from a neighbour, friend, or family member who has used an engineer is often the most reliable route. Ask specifically about:

Punctuality and communication
Whether they explained the work clearly
Whether the quote was accurate
Whether they were tidy

Comparison Sites

Checkatrade, Rated People, and MyBuilder all list Gas Safe registered engineers and include customer reviews. These reviews should be read with some scepticism, look at the volume of reviews and the spread of ratings rather than the headline score.

British Gas and National Providers

British Gas HomeCare and similar national providers offer boiler servicing and repair plans. These are generally reliable but typically more expensive than independent engineers. They suit homeowners who value the security of a large organisation and 24-hour call-out cover.

What to Ask Before the Work Starts

When you contact an engineer, ask the following:

Are you Gas Safe registered, and what is your registration number? (You should then verify this independently.)
Are you qualified for this specific type of work? (Boiler installation, for example, requires specific qualifications.)
Can you provide a written quote before starting work?
What does the quote include, and what might lead to additional costs?
Are parts and labour included, or separate?
What guarantee do you offer on the work?

Reputable engineers will answer all of these without hesitation. Be cautious of anyone who is vague about their registration, refuses to provide a written quote, or pressures you to agree to work immediately.

Red Flags

No Gas Safe ID card: walk away. This is the single most important check.
Cash only with no receipt: this makes it impossible to pursue any complaint or warranty.
Unusually low quotes: extremely cheap quotes sometimes indicate unlicensed work, shortcuts, or a bait-and-switch approach where the final bill is much higher.
Pressuring you to replace rather than repair: a trustworthy engineer will tell you honestly if a repair is viable.
No fixed address or business registration: you have limited recourse if something goes wrong.

After the Work

Once work is completed, the engineer should provide:

A Gas Safety Certificate (CP12) for any gas safety inspection or landlord check
A Building Regulations completion certificate for notifiable work such as boiler replacements (this is usually submitted by the engineer directly to the local authority)
A written record of what was done, including any parts replaced

Keep these documents. They are relevant if you sell the property and provide evidence of compliant, professionally carried out work.

Keeping Track of Your Engineers

If you find an engineer you trust, save their details. Over time, building a reliable list of tradespeople for different jobs, plumbing, gas, electrical, general maintenance, is genuinely valuable. Our Home Base has a contractor directory where you can save engineer names, numbers, and notes, and link them to specific jobs.

For complaints about a Gas Safe registered engineer's work, contact Gas Safe Register directly. For complaints about illegal gas work, contact the HSE.