Once a year, every year
A gas boiler should be serviced once every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer. That is the manufacturer recommendation for virtually every boiler on the market, and it is the interval that keeps your warranty valid, your boiler safe and your running costs down.
The best time to book is late summer or early autumn, before the heating season starts. Get it done in September and you go into winter knowing the boiler is safe and working, rather than discovering a problem on the first cold night when every engineer is flat out.
Why an annual service genuinely matters
Safety first. A gas boiler that is not maintained can, in the worst cases, produce carbon monoxide, a gas you cannot see or smell. A service includes checks that make sure the boiler is burning safely and venting properly. That alone is reason enough.
Then there is your warranty. Almost every manufacturer requires an annual service by a Gas Safe engineer to keep the guarantee valid. Skip a service and a future breakdown claim can be refused. A service also keeps the boiler efficient, so it uses less gas for the same heat, and it catches small faults early, before they become a cold-snap breakdown that costs far more to fix.
What a proper service includes
A thorough service is more than a quick glance. It includes checking the boiler fires and operates correctly, inspecting the burner and heat exchanger, checking the flue and combustion to confirm it is burning safely, checking gas pressure and flow, testing safety devices and controls, and giving you an honest report on the condition of the boiler and anything worth watching.
You should come away knowing the boiler is safe, whether anything needs attention, and roughly how much life it has left in it.
Landlords: this is a legal duty, not a choice
If you let a property, an annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer is a legal requirement, and you must give the tenant a copy of the certificate (the CP12). It is a separate thing from a service, though many landlords sensibly have both done together. See landlord gas safety and the CP12 in Wales for the detail.
LMB carries out annual boiler services across Bridgend and South Wales, with the service currently £84, and handles landlord certificates too. Message Lloyd to book one in before winter.
