Electrics and gas
Who should inspect a gas boiler before you exchange?
A Gas Safe registered engineer, if you want a real inspection. The home surveyor should already have said they did not service it. Your solicitor does not inspect boilers. The seller’s service history is useful and is not the same as your own engineer’s visit.
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?
HSE regulates gas safety. The Gas Safe Register is the list of engineers who can do the work. Ask the engineer for their registration and for what the visit will cover. A “boiler health check” can mean a short look or a service. Get the meaning in writing with the price.
Time the visit before exchange if the boiler is old, leaking, or named in the survey as a concern. If the survey is silent and the boiler is recent and serviced, you may decide a further visit is optional. That is your decision, not a rule. In Scotland, the Home Report may comment on heating. It is still not a Gas Safe service. Ask a Scottish solicitor how the Home Report fits your offer.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What did you see on the boiler plate and the flue?
- Did you see leaks, scorching or a terminal in a place that worried you?
- Are you excluding a service from this instruction?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the seller for the last services and the commissioning sheet.
- If those are missing or the survey is worried, book a Gas Safe engineer before you are bound to buy.
- Do not let a house-insurance quote stand in for that visit.
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
Can a plumber who is not Gas Safe do this?
Not the gas parts. HSE is clear about registration. A plumber may still look at leaks on the water side. Say which job you are buying.
Does a landlord gas safety record transfer to a buyer?
It is a record of an inspection on a date. It may help. It is not a warranty for the next decade. Read the defects on it.