Electrics and gas
Does a Level 2 include a gas tightness test?
No. A tightness test is gas work. The Health and Safety Executive says domestic gas work is for an engineer on the Gas Safe Register. A Level 2 surveyor looks at what is visible and does not test the pipework or service the boiler.
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?
The survey can note a boiler’s age if it is printed on the plate, a smell, a flue terminal, or a flame-effect fire. None of those notes is a tightness test. A satisfactory visual note is not a landlord gas safety record either. That record is a different form for rented property.
If you want the system tested before you commit, book a Gas Safe engineer and agree access with the seller. Ask the engineer what the visit includes: a test, a service, or an opinion on age. Those are different prices. Ask them. Do not ask the surveyor to add a gas pass to the report later.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which appliances did you see, and which did you not test?
- Was there any smell or immediate danger you want me to act on now?
- Where is the meter and the flue, if you could find them?
What are the typical next steps?
- Book a Gas Safe inspection for appliances you will rely on. Do it as its own appointment.
- If the surveyor reported a smell or an obviously dangerous fitting, do not treat that as a paperwork issue. Ask the engineer to attend, and follow HSE advice if you smell gas.
- Keep service papers the seller can produce. They are history, not a substitute for a test if you need one.
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
What should you do if you smell gas on a viewing?
Leave, and follow the current advice from the gas emergency service and HSE. Do not hunt for the leak with a match or a home survey. This page is not the emergency procedure. The engineer is.
Does a new boiler avoid the need for a check?
A new boiler can still be poorly flued or poorly commissioned. Age is not a test. The paperwork and, if you need it, a Gas Safe engineer are the checks.