Electrics and gas
A boiler flue terminal sits close to an opening window and no measurement was taken. What gas-safety clearance check is still outstanding?
The gas-safety clearance check is still outstanding. The boiler flue terminal sits close to an opening window, and no measurement was taken, so the survey has not shown whether that position would satisfy a gas engineer. Looking close is not a pass and it is not a fail. No gas-safety inspection was carried out. The position was noted. The distance was not measured on this visit, and the appliance itself was not tested.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Flue terminals are kept away from opening windows so combustion products are not drawn inside when the window is open. Whether this terminal is far enough away is a measured question for a gas engineer, not a guess from the garden. The surveyor saw the terminal near the window and did not measure the gap. Close is the observation. It is not a clearance result. A home survey does not issue a gas-safety record, and this one has not pretended to.
Ask a Gas Safe engineer to measure the flue against the opening window and to say whether the position is acceptable. Tell the solicitor the terminal looks close and that no measurement was taken. Do not board the window as a guess, and do not ignore the note because the boiler was running. The survey has not failed the appliance and it has not passed it. The clearance check remains outstanding.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was any measurement taken between the flue terminal and the opening window?
- Is the gas-safety clearance check still outstanding?
- Was the boiler itself left untested on this visit?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the flue position as noted but not measured.
- Ask a Gas Safe engineer to check the clearance to the window.
- Do not tell anyone the boiler passed or failed a gas-safety test.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the window is painted shut, has the clearance been met?
No. A window that does not currently open is still an opening window if that is what it is, and no measurement was taken anyway. Paint is not a gas-safety check. The survey has not passed the terminal position. A Gas Safe engineer needs to measure it. The clearance check is still outstanding.
Does a carbon monoxide alarm beside the boiler finish the check?
No. An alarm is not a measurement of the flue to the window, and it is not a test of the appliance. The survey did not carry out a gas-safety inspection. The terminal sits close to an opening window and the distance was not taken. The clearance check remains the outstanding item, alarm or none.