Guide
Gas Safe register: how to check a plumber
Gas Safe registration is the legal requirement for gas work in the UK. It takes a minute to check, it is free, and the card lists which appliances the engineer is signed off for.
What the register is
Gas Safe Register is the official list of businesses and engineers legally permitted to carry out gas work in the United Kingdom. It replaced CORGI in 2009. Working on a gas appliance or gas pipework without being on it is a criminal offence, not a technicality, and it is the one credential in this trade that carries legal weight rather than being a membership scheme.
How to check somebody, in a minute
Ask to see the card. Every registered engineer carries one with a photograph, a licence number, a start and expiry date, and a list of categories on the back. Then check the number on the public register at gassaferegister.co.uk, or by phone. The register will confirm the business, the engineer and which categories are current.
Do this before the work starts. A card shows what was true when it was printed, and the register shows what is current today.
Categories are the part people miss
Registration is not one qualification, it is a set of them. An engineer signed off for domestic boilers is not automatically qualified for gas cookers, gas fires, warm air units, commercial boilers or catering appliances. The categories are printed on the back of the card in shorthand, and the register spells them out in plain words.
So the check is two questions rather than one: are they registered, and are they registered for this appliance.
What to do if something is wrong
If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999, turn the gas off at the meter, open the windows and leave the building. The attendance is free and they make the installation safe.
If you believe gas work has been done by someone not on the register, or not to the required standard, Gas Safe Register investigates reports and can inspect the installation at no charge. That is worth knowing, because a faulty gas installation is a safety matter rather than an ordinary consumer dispute.
Common questions
Is Gas Safe the same as CORGI?
Gas Safe Register replaced CORGI as the official gas registration body in Great Britain in April 2009 and in Northern Ireland in 2010. A CORGI card is no longer evidence of current registration.
Do I need to be Gas Safe registered to change a radiator?
No. A radiator is on the water side of the system. Registration is required for work on gas pipework and gas appliances.
How much does it cost to check?
Nothing. The register is public, free to search online and free to check by phone.