How to Send a Gas Safety Record to a Landlord or Tenant and Keep Proof (2026)

Updated 2 October 2026

The awkward part is rarely creating the record. It is making sure the final version reaches the correct landlord or tenant and leaves a trace the office can understand months later. A simple handover routine makes that easier without pretending a sent email proves the file was opened.

What does the law actually require?

For rented property in Great Britain, the landlord must arrange the annual gas safety check and give an existing tenant a copy of the record within 28 days. A new tenant must receive it before moving in. The Health and Safety Executive’s gas safety record guidance also says an electronic copy is acceptable when the tenant is happy to receive it that way and can access it. A paper copy still has to be supplied if the tenant asks for one.

The duty belongs to the landlord, but the practical handover is often done by the engineer or office. The same HSE guidance says an engineer may send the electronic record directly to the tenant when the landlord agrees. That makes the workflow important: the right document must reach the right person, and the business should be able to show what happened later.

What should you check before sending the record?

A fast send is useful only when the record is complete. Confirm the service address, the landlord or agent details, each appliance or flue checked, the date, the engineer identity and registration number, the result, and any safety defect or remedial action. These are among the minimum record contents listed by HSE.

Do not use an old customer email simply because it autofills. Ask which person should receive the record and whether the tenant should be copied. Where an agent manages several properties, match the PDF to the property record rather than relying on a file name that looks familiar.

Which delivery route can the recipient access?

Email works when the address has been confirmed and the recipient can open the attachment. A secure download link can work too, provided it remains available for long enough and the recipient knows what it is. Text can be useful for a link, but avoid exposing personal or property information in the message preview.

The Information Commissioner’s Office’s current data sharing code recommends choosing a secure sharing method when personal data moves between people or organisations. That does not mean every gas record needs an elaborate portal. It means considering the information, checking the recipient, limiting unnecessary data and protecting the accounts used to send and store it.

How should you keep proof without confusing it with proof of access?

Record the final file, recipient, channel, date and time. Keep the sent email or message reference where practical. That is good evidence that the business completed its handover step. It is not the same as proving that somebody opened, read or understood the record.

If an address bounces or a link expires, create an exception for a person to resolve. Do not let an automated success status hide a failed delivery. If the tenant requests paper, record that request and when the copy was posted or handed over.

What six-step workflow keeps delivery traceable?

1. Complete and sign the correct gas safety record.
2. Check the property, landlord, tenant and engineer details.
3. Confirm the recipient and agreed delivery route.
4. Send the final PDF or accessible secure link.
5. Store the issued version against the property and job.
6. Record the send event and follow up any failure.

In Checker, we let you create and sign reports on the job, send a PDF by email or a link by text, and keep the copy with the customer and property record. Whatever system you use, test the whole route with a real job before relying on it.

How do we support this workflow?

We built Checker for UK and Ireland trade businesses that need customers, properties, jobs, reports, quotes, invoices and follow-up in one operational record. Test one real job to confirm that our workflow, permissions and connected accounting setup match the way your business works.

What has to be true before the record is sent?

First confirm that the record is the final version for the correct property. HSE lists the appliance or flue details, engineer name and registration number, date, property, landlord or agent details, defects and remedial action among the minimum record contents. A delivery log cannot correct a document that belongs to another address or contains an unfinished result.

HSE also says the landlord is responsible for arranging the check and providing the record. With the landlord’s agreement, a gas engineer may send an electronic copy directly to the tenant. Keep the instruction and delivery route clear so the office does not assume that a copy sent to an agent has reached every required recipient.

How should the delivery record distinguish sending from access?

Record the final document reference, property, recipient, channel, date and time, plus the sending account or message reference where available. That proves the business completed a delivery step. It does not prove that an attachment was opened, understood or retained by the recipient.

Use an exception queue for bounced emails, expired links, unclear recipient details and requests for paper. HSE says an electronic copy is acceptable when the tenant is happy to receive it electronically and can access it, and a paper copy must be provided if requested. A failed digital delivery should therefore trigger a named follow-up, not a silent closed status.

How can a business protect the record while making it accessible?

Gas safety records include personal and property information. The ICO says organisations must use security measures appropriate to the risk, including organisational as well as technical measures. Keep recipient checking, access permissions and a recovery process in the everyday workflow, rather than relying on a generic shared inbox or an unlabelled download link.

Only provide the information required for the recipient and route. A text message can be a useful notification that a secure link is ready, but it is not a place to include unnecessary property details. Where a managing agent is involved, make the authority and intended recipient clear on the job record.

What does a traceable handover look like?

1. Complete and sign the correct gas safety record.
2. Check the property, landlord or agent, tenant and engineer details.
3. Confirm who should receive the record and their agreed channel.
4. Send the final PDF or accessible link.
5. Save the issued version against the property and job.
6. Log the delivery event and resolve any exception.

For example, if a tenant’s address bounces, keep the send attempt, ask the landlord or agent to confirm the address, then record the corrected delivery. Do not overwrite the first event. A short sequence is more useful than a single success label when a question arises later.

When should the business ask for specialist advice?

This workflow supports practical record keeping. It does not decide a landlord’s legal duties, a tenancy dispute, data-protection compliance or whether a particular delivery method is sufficient in unusual circumstances. Check the current HSE and GOV.UK guidance, and seek suitable professional advice when the facts are not straightforward.

What official checks keep the handover safe?

The legal duty stays with the landlord. Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 covers the record, retention and delivery duties. HSE’s gas-safety record guidance, checklist of appliances and flues that need checking, guide to who can do the check and landlord duties leaflet turn that rule into a working checklist. GOV.UK’s landlord safety responsibilities page is a useful wider reference for the property owner.

For the handover itself, use the ICO’s data-sharing code to decide the route and recipient, then its security guidance to set measures appropriate to the risk. GOV.UK’s data-protection overview and the ICO’s small-organisation guidance explain the wider responsibility for personal information.

Finally, protect the account that sends and stores the record. The National Cyber Security Centre’s small-business guide gives practical account and recovery steps, while HSE’s domestic gas hub brings together current guidance, legislation and safety information.

Authoritative sources

1. Legislation.gov.uk: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 36
2. HSE: gas safety check records
3. HSE: what needs a gas safety check
4. HSE: who can do gas safety checks
5. HSE: landlords’ gas-safety duties
6. GOV.UK: landlord safety responsibilities
7. ICO: data sharing code of practice
8. ICO: guide to data security
9. GOV.UK: data protection
10. ICO: data protection for small organisations
11. NCSC: small business guide
12. HSE: domestic gas

Frequently asked questions