How much for a Gas Safety Certificate (CORGI)? [Archive]

Dan

03-02-2005, 14:06 PM

No, not one just like The Queen's.

Can people give me an idea of how much they pay for the Gas Safety Certificate that we need please?

I was relying on the British Gas Safety inspection but I now learn that it isn't sufficient so I'm going to have to find a local contractor and I don't want to get ripped off.

Thanks.

T.M.

03-02-2005, 14:26 PM

Hi Dan.
im fairly new to this but i have had a couple of corgi registered gas inspection certs done on a couple of properties.
I got mine done from a few people i knew who are gas central heating fitters.
They are qualified to do this. i had both mine done (corgi registered with a registered number) from two different local c.h. fitters. So i dont know, perhaps thats an option for you also.

Not sure but maybe worth looking into. I rememeber ringing around yellow pages but was anything from £40 to quite expensive upwards, that was about 5 months ago.

But mine was incuded in the c.h. fitting. Though i probably could have had it done for around 35-45 mark from them if i had it seperately as i knew them (a bit)!!
Im sure other experienced people here would probably know more. Worth waiting for reply from them.
Hope this is of some indication.
Gud luck.

P.Pilcher

03-02-2005, 18:14 PM

Price tends to depend on where you are - the North is cheaper than the Midlands is cheaper than the South is cheaper than London if you get my drift.

Here in the Midlands I find myself paying about £80 for an inspection including CH system, gas fire and gas cooker to £50 for a gas fire on its own. As you can see, the majority of the cost is the "call out" element. I am very happy with my Corgi inspector who does the odd extra for no additional charge and is extremely co-operative.

P.P.

emjga

04-02-2005, 12:56 PM

In Aberdeen , for a CH Bolier I was charged £60
But it was a quite a old bolier and needed a bit doing on it.

A brand new bolier with cooker , cost £50

Matt

Muse

04-02-2005, 18:28 PM

In South Yorkshire I pay £44.65 for a corgi engineer, this price covers all gas appliances in the property. :)

fitzy

12-02-2005, 12:52 PM

I believe that British Gas standard home cover cost £15 per month, covers heating system etc. They do a landlords version for £18 per month which according to the website inc. Landlords Gas Certificate. My calculation £36 for the gas certificate nationwide!!!!!

www.house.co.uk

This seems very cheap so I may be missing something. I just paid £130 to have two of my properties done before I saw this.

Hope it helps but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Fitzy :rolleyes:

Dan

12-02-2005, 22:03 PM

It certainly looks good! I have the breakdown cover with British Gas anyway and as I'm due a Corgi I'll give them a call and let you know the outcome. Thanks Fitzy

Dan

17-02-2005, 16:03 PM

The normal cover is actually ₤16 per month (₤15.50 is a special offer) and the landlords Property Care is indeed ₤18 per month including the cert. So, even better value @ ₤24. I have signed up for this and so here comes my question:-

They can't do me a visit until 21st March. However, I have some tenants moving in on the 25th Feb. Is having an appointment with the engineer booked acceptable?

P.Pilcher

17-02-2005, 17:35 PM

Technically, I don't think that it is. A landlords certificate must be in force and a copy handed to the new tenant when they move in. Certainly when I use agents to find me a tenant, they always require a copy of same for their files.

P.P.

gas chap

18-02-2005, 00:03 AM

Understanding that this country is built on price sensitivity it is understandable that landlords look to price first.

However it is a gas engineers responsibility to ensure saftey as is it the landlords. As a gas engineer he/she is legally responsible as is the landlord. It is therefore incumbant upon him to ensure that all appliances are safe. This includes all gas pipe work, meter installation, checking flues, flow testing inspecting flues throught out the building including the loft space. Checking flame picture and for signs of spillage, gas rating. The reason he/she the engineer should take this seriously is that he/she is held legally responsible if any mishap should occur. By being legally responsible, he /she is not innocent until proven guilty he/she must prove that they are innocent and non culpable.

Dependent on the above the paper work involved the cost of achieving and maintain gas registration, I would suggest that a figure around £60 to £90 is more realistic.

If you find it cheaper ask yourselves, has the work been carried out correctly and indepth are you sure and confident the tenant is safe. And how competent are you to judge the gas enginers standard of work?

At £60 a year or £5 a month is it really a cost to worry over? or what price is your tenants safety?

Dan

18-02-2005, 09:44 AM

Thanks for that explanation Gas Man. If we assume that the British Gas engineer is conscientious and doing all of those checks then £24 seems an even better bargain.

You are quite right in that the safety of my tenants and their children is of paramount value to me. When I asked this question it was not to find the cheapest but more to avoid being ripped off. I had an electrician come in to replace an existing fuse with an MCB which I had already purchased and mounted on the wall. He was in the house for 10 minutes and charged me £45. At £270 per hour I felt ripped off.

I wonder what experiences other LLs have had? Clearly all the checks that Gas Man mentions would take some time. Or do LLs find engineers who are in the premesis for a short amount of time before issuing the certificate?

P.Pilcher

18-02-2005, 10:03 AM

Well, Having installed two gas boilers myself (yes I know: naughty naughty!) I do know a bit about it. I have stated what I am charged in a previous post and confirm that my Corgi inspector thoroughly carries out all of the checks described by gas man. It takes him at least half an hour to do a gas fire alone which he invariably services as well so when he has issued a certificate I am totally confident that my tenants' gas appliances are safe. Last year his certification expired. He had to take three weeks off and spend the time studying hard, then to renew his certification had to take all the initial Corgi exams again to ensure he was completely up to date with the ever changing regulations. Apparently you need separate certification for domestic CH boilers, gas fires and gas cookers. That's a bit of a hole in your income stream - particularly if you have a young family and a mortgage. I think his charges are fair and reasonable.

P.P.

Rebecca

20-02-2005, 13:13 PM

British Gas came round a couple of days ago and issued me with a Corgi landlord's certificate for my boiler and gas hob. They also checked all the pipework, the meter and the flues etc. Including 3star central heating cover, the cost is £21 per month for the year. It seemed to be pretty competitive with other Corgi suppliers in London.

Ericthelobster

20-02-2005, 16:51 PM

If you find it cheaper ask yourselves, has the work been carried out correctly and indepth are you sure and confident the tenant is safe. And how competent are you to judge the gas enginers standard of work?I'm not - that's the whole point: it's CORGI's job to ensure the engineer's work is up to scratch. Provided I select a CORGI-accredited engineer to check my property and provide my gas certificate, there should be no difference in the reliability/safety of the work, regardless of whether I pay 30 quid or 300 to have it done. If you're saying there is, then what's CORGI all about?

Paul_f

20-02-2005, 19:29 PM

A question like this should end after the first post!

I mean - how much do you pay for a Ford Mondeo?

gas chap

25-02-2005, 19:50 PM

I'm not - that's the whole point: it's CORGI's job to ensure the engineer's work is up to scratch. Provided I select a CORGI-accredited engineer to check my property and provide my gas certificate, there should be no difference in the reliability/safety of the work, regardless of whether I pay 30 quid or 300 to have it done. If you're saying there is, then what's CORGI all about?

What indeed Eric, what indeed. But that is another sore point with engineers lol unfortunately as in every trade and as you know there are rogues, including customers i may add..

confused_landlord

17-01-2009, 10:08 AM

Hi there,

I normally pay about 75gbp for a gas safety certificate. This company offers to carry one out for 40gbp. Has anyone ever used them? Are they ok? www.gasafe.cabanova.com

confused_landlord

17-01-2009, 10:39 AM

Great tips. Thanks. Im in London btw

mind the gap

17-01-2009, 11:12 AM

OP, are you not in the UK?

Jimbotron

26-01-2009, 12:17 PM

Dear Letting Agents
This is a question regarding charging for the Gas Safety Certificate.
What is the best way to charge the Gas Safety Fee to the Landlord?
Do I, as an agent, Organise for the Gas Cert to be done and then ask the plumber to invoice my company. Then from the next months rent received deduct the cost of the Gas cert plus an additional fee for my time.
Or is it unlawful to charge for organising the Gas Cert? In which case, the invoice should be made to the landlord and just sent c/o my office? What do other agents do? Thanks Jimbotron:confused:

Mrs Jones

26-01-2009, 15:40 PM

If you are managing the property for the landlord, surely this is part of your job (and what you get paid for in the management fee) so why would you think you should get extra??

My agent organises these for me and deducts the cost from the next property rental income statement and supplies me with the landlord's copy of the certificate. He also supplies me with all original invoices (which are issued to me as purchaser of the service) regarding any works carried out on my properties.

If you are NOT managing the property for the landlord, then it is not your job to do any of these things.

Poppy35

27-01-2009, 19:27 PM

Def agree with Mrs Jones. we are a LA and we always instruct the contractors to do LGSC on our behalf. Remember that as you are instructing the engineer then you are liable for the invoice.

Charge it against the landlords account and when you next pay him, the deduction should show on their statement and give a copy of the invoice to the landlord also.

Generally this is covered by your monthly management fee you charge so you should not charge extra although im sure some LA's do!

Paul_f

27-01-2009, 19:51 PM

You are both missing something here. It should be defined in your terms of business as to whom the responsibility lies. You must not automatically assume the responsibility is with the agent.

All invoices should be in the name of the landlord, not the letting agency, so Poppy would be able to make sure the landlord is liable not her company. If the invoice is in the name of the agency then the landlord would have no legal liability to pay.

This is where my training modules come into play, they tidy up these points and clearly define responsibilities.

jeffrey

27-01-2009, 19:55 PM

It should be defined in your terms of business as to whom the responsibility lies.
Yes. Start with the assumption that L (not A) is responsible for everything; that would be so if L self-managed, of course.
Now, verify which responsibilities- if any- L and A have agreed to shift from L to A. If one is not identified, it stays where it is- with L.

Mrs Jones

27-01-2009, 22:26 PM

Generally this is covered by your monthly management fee you charge so you should not charge extra although im sure some LA's do!

- I'd soon be on the phone if these little "extra" charges started creeping in......

Jimbotron

28-01-2009, 14:06 PM

Thanks to you all for your opinions - I have decided that I will be having all invoices made out in the name of the landlord and sent c/o myself - the agent. I will not charge any extra when the property is managed by ouraselves, however rent only and tenant find will insure a surcharge of £10 to arrange the gas cert. I think that is fair and it is in my terms now.
thanks - tronbojim

Mrs Jones

28-01-2009, 14:51 PM

We charge 10% for arranging works and are upfront about it (part of our T&Cs).

Then just what is covered by your "management fee" if it isn't "managing the property"!!

Jimbotron

28-01-2009, 15:13 PM

I think you have miss understood!

With a Fully Managed service no extra charge will be made.

With Rent processing and Tenant find only, an additional charge is made.

Therefore, i am not charging my LL anything when I am managing the property

Poppy35

30-01-2009, 22:11 PM

I think Mrs Jones reply was to Wickerman not yourself. :D

mind the gap

31-01-2009, 00:04 AM

alidee

31-01-2009, 15:51 PM

Please explain what you mean by 'insure' in the highlighted section of your post?

I think maybe it was meant to say 'incur' not 'insure' - that's my guess anyway.
Alidee

Aaardvark Heating Ltd

07-05-2009, 21:26 PM

Mars Mug

07-05-2009, 22:06 PM

It might be nice to have the gas installation actually checked though rather than just have a form filled out, just for ‘peace of mind’.

mind the gap

07-05-2009, 22:13 PM

It might be nice to have the gas installation actually checked though rather than just have a form filled out, just for ‘peace of mind’.

Too right. The gas engineer doing a safety check in my mother's house could not access the meter without removing a washing machine from the meter cupboard and he had a bad back. So he winked at my mother and said 'you haven't smelt gas recently have you, luv?', ticked the boxes on the form and charged her £70.

Aaardvark Heating Ltd

07-05-2009, 22:16 PM

Let by test, 1 min, tightness test 2 mins. While thats happening the forms are being filled in.

Then you are required to check safety operational devices and conduct a visual inspection of appliances and gas pipes.

Operating pressures need to be done on all appliances, which again, takes minutes to do.

Gas fires need the most amount of work. They need to be removed, and the chimney tested. This is what will take the bulk of the time and charges reflect this with most engineers.

Aaardvark Heating Ltd

07-05-2009, 22:22 PM

Mars Mug

08-05-2009, 06:54 AM

Don’t worry, I was only having a joke mate, a bit of a gas :p

The way I worked it out was 1 minute to fill out the forms, 1 minute to count the cash and fill out the receipt, and 8 minutes to drink the tea and eat the biscuits.

SALL

08-05-2009, 08:00 AM

I pay £45 for boiler and cooker and £5 for any additional item.

So £40 is not cheap, it’s reasonable.

confused_landlord

08-05-2009, 09:50 AM

Hi, why do you think £40 is too cheap?

It's possible to complete one in ten minutes.

Some days I can do 10+ in a single day all over London. I charge £39 for each one. Thats £390.

Aaardvark Heating Ltd
Gas Safe Registered 300451

Hi there,

Can you recheck the Gas Safe number you quoted please 'cos I just checked on their website and it is coming up as invalid. I checked here: http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/help/check_an_engineer.aspx

confused_landlord

08-05-2009, 10:30 AM

Hi there,

Can you recheck the Gas Safe number you quoted please 'cos I just checked on their website and it is coming up as invalid. I checked here: http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/help/check_an_engineer.aspx

Edit: My mistake. I believe I should have checked under your business name.

Anyway, my boiler has been working fine for 3 years but I have just found out it does not have a pump overrun. Is that something you could fit?

jeffrey

08-05-2009, 10:38 AM

I wish that the neologism GBP could disappear. What's wrong with £ signs?
If I were in Northern Ireland, I'd also resent being excluded from GBP; what's wrong with 'UKP'?

confused_landlord

08-05-2009, 10:42 AM

I wish that the neologism GBP could disappear. What's wrong with £ signs?
If I were in Northern Ireland, I'd also resent being excluded from GBP; what's wrong with 'UKP'?

:0)

I hate using GBP too, but I have a US keyboard and only have a $ key readily accessible.

jeffrey

08-05-2009, 11:01 AM

:0)

I hate using GBP too, but I have a US keyboard and only have a $ key readily accessible.
Sorry, but UK keyboards have a $ sign (on the '4' key) used either for its proper purpose or as a word-processor prompt in text (for missing data to be inserted). I understood that USA keyboards have a £ sign for just the same purposes.

confused_landlord

08-05-2009, 11:09 AM

Sorry, but UK keyboards have a $ sign (on the '4' key) used either for its proper purpose or as a word-processor prompt in text (for missing data to be inserted). I understood that USA keyboards have a £ sign for just the same purposes.

OH ok, so I must have a UK keyboard then. Whatever it is, it has a $ sign on the number 4. I wasn't sure where I got it from as it cost many gbp less on ebay.

jeffrey

08-05-2009, 11:39 AM

Perhaps that's why: it was sold as defective goods, lacking a decent £ sign!
£ key should be on '3'. $ key should be on '4'.

confused_landlord

08-05-2009, 11:41 AM

Perhaps that's why: it was sold as defective goods, lacking a decent £ sign!
£ key should be on '3'. $ key should be on '4'.

Lol.

mmmmkay.

Rodent1

08-05-2009, 18:22 PM

£40 cheap ?

Bit expensive i would say !

I pay £25 inc hob/oven and £35 with gas fire as well

But i do give my guy at least half dozen at a time.

Paragon

08-05-2009, 18:44 PM

£40 cheap ?

Bit expensive i would say !

I pay £25 inc hob/oven and £35 with gas fire as well

But i do give my guy at least half dozen at a time.

1/2 dozen of what?

Dave Lavelle

08-05-2009, 22:24 PM

There's a bit of limbo dancing going on with prices these days due to the shortage of gas work being available to some people because of curtailed construction work. AAAAAAAAArdvarking is on the increase.
CORGI I believe used to quietly have a word with people who's prices were too low, because they viewed it that they could not be carrying out the inspection to the standard CORGI deemed acceptable. If heed wasn't taken they were "encouraged" by regular additional diligent inspections by the local CORGI inspector - a kind of smiley humiliation.
My own feeling is sub £40 is not sustainable over the longer term as a business, so the cheap end of the market will either fail, put up their prices, or go back to what they were doing before the economy slowed (when it picks up again).
So if you have someone reliable who's charges are reasonable, stick with them.

Rodent1

08-05-2009, 23:27 PM

1/2 dozen of what?

Properties/tests to do, at a time !

Rodent1

08-05-2009, 23:28 PM

Paragon

09-05-2009, 11:13 AM

Properties/tests to do, at a time !

Just kidding:)

mind the gap

09-05-2009, 11:21 AM

Just kidding:)

Don't encourage him. It doesn't take much to get him started on one of his dodgy fantasies involving..well, I'll stop there. People might be eating, after all.

Rodent1

09-05-2009, 16:13 PM

Don't encourage him. It doesn't take much to get him started on one of his dodgy fantasies involving..well, I'll stop there. People might be eating, after all.

I will ask my corgi man if he is planning on writing a "confessions of a corgi gas engineer" script ;)

"I've come to sort your old boiler out,
'cos I've got love in my eyes and a fire in my pants,
I've got a burning desire, to sort you right out! "

Wonder how that would go down ?

mind the gap

09-05-2009, 16:32 PM

I will ask my corgi man if he is planning on writing a "confessions of a corgi gas engineer" script ;)

"I've come to sort your old boiler out,
'cos I've got love in my eyes and a fire in my pants,
I've got a burning desire, to sort you right out! "

Wonder how that would go down ?
I think that any self-respecting Tonypandy housewife confronted with this drivel would turn the cold tap on him and clock him with the griddle pan.

Rodent1

09-05-2009, 22:22 PM

self-respecting Tonypandy housewife

It is not possible for these terms to appear in the same sentence :p

Freshlandlord

24-08-2009, 10:19 AM

Please can any one advice me where i can find a Gas safety Certificate with reasonable cost as I am planning to rent it out my Flat located in London south east area.

tom999

26-08-2009, 11:26 AM

Please can any one advice me where i can find a Gas safety Certificate with reasonable cost as I am planning to rent it out my Flat located in London south east area.

Ideally get recommendations of other LL's/friends/family in your area.

Alternatively, check these:

LandlordZone Gas Services (http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/dir/gas-services.htm)
Gas Safe Register (http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/)

Get quotes from at least 3...:cool:

clarekellog

01-02-2010, 15:57 PM

My point is this... £40 is not cheap if you think of it like this:

1. Repeat business next year and the following years.
2. Owner/landlord will possibly have more than one property.
3. Easy way to build customer base and promote your name and business.
4. Easier work physically than installing a boiler or hanging a radiator.

Thats why £40 is not cheap if you can get the customers. Thats why I offer NO PASS NO FEE to all customers.

Hi there, are you the based in Harrow, I have googled AAardvark Heating in Harrow and it does come up with a website but it states £39 for one appliance anywhere in London.

is this ur site please gas-safety-checks-london.co.uk

You see m to be advertising on more than one website.

cheers

bendavies21

16-02-2010, 22:55 PM

Please can any one advice me where i can find a Gas safety Certificate with reasonable cost as I am planning to rent it out my Flat located in London south east area.
You can get a gas safety certificate online from only £55 + vat - try lettingaproperty.com/letting-resources/gas-safety-certificate

Rodent1

17-02-2010, 00:00 AM

You can get a gas safety certificate online from only £55 + vat - try lettingaproperty.com/letting-resources/gas-safety-certificate

Do they actually come and do the test or just email the cert to you ?:D

Handson

17-02-2010, 00:11 AM

I paid around £50 for my one.

bendavies21

20-05-2010, 08:34 AM

Do they actually come and do the test or just email the cert to you ?:D

Hi Rodent1, yep, a very friendly engineer called me after I ordered the certificate onlime and then booked in a time to come over to the property. He left a copy for my tenant and emailed me a hard copy within a few days. Very good service.