Electrics and gas
The gas hob shows no flame-failure device. Can the survey call it unsafe?
No, the survey cannot call the hob unsafe, and it cannot call it safe either. A glance at the burners does not show whether a flame-failure device is fitted, hidden or absent, and it is not a gas tightness test. HSE’s position is that gas work is for an engineer on the Gas Safe Register, which the surveyor has not done.
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?
Flame-failure devices shut the gas if the flame goes out. On some hobs the parts are visible at the burner, and on others they are not obvious from above. A home survey does not dismantle the hob, does not light every ring as a formal check, and cannot call the hob safe or unsafe from that glance. Do not turn a missing-looking part into a legal ruling in your questions to the seller. Ask a Gas Safe registered engineer to inspect the hob if you need a safety view before exchange. The survey sentence should stay at what was seen.
A landlord gas safety record, where one exists because the home was let, is not a guarantee to you as the buyer, and many owner-occupied sales will not have one. Gas Safe registration is for classes of work, so ask for an engineer who covers this domestic hob. The home survey does not include their inspection. There is no tightness test hiding inside the kitchen paragraph. If the engineer later says the hob is unsatisfactory, that is their finding. It is not a code you can borrow from an electrical report, and it is not a RICS condition rating by another name.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Could you see a flame-failure device, or were you simply not able to tell?
- Did you test the hob or the gas supply? Please keep that as a no if it is a no.
- Are you leaving safety to a Gas Safe engineer?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not condemn the hob from the photograph.
- If you need a safety view, book a Gas Safe registered engineer and name the hob.
- Keep their letter separate from the survey. Do not merge them into one pretend 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 rings light, has the hob passed?
No. Lighting a ring is not a gas safety check and not a tightness test.
Is a new-looking hob automatically acceptable?
No. Appearance is not an inspection. The survey did not test it, whatever the style.