Gas engineers

Before any gas work, look the engineer up on the Gas Safe Register (www.gassaferegister.co.uk). We don't do this for you yet.

What to put in your job description

• What you need: a boiler service, a repair, a new boiler, a gas fire or cooker, a gas safety record.
• The make and model of the boiler or appliance, and roughly how old it is.
• What is wrong: no heating, no hot water, an error code, a noise.
• Where the boiler is: kitchen, loft, cupboard.
• If you are a landlord: when the last gas safety record was done.

Don't put your name, phone number or address in the description: every trade who covers your area reads it. Your name, phone, email and address go only to the trades who take the job (3 at most).

Questions to ask before you hire

• Can I see your Gas Safe ID card? (Look at both sides.)
• Does the back of your card show the kind of work I need, such as boilers or cookers?
• Will you register a new boiler with the manufacturer and with building control?
• Is there a call-out charge, and what does the price include?
• Do you have public liability insurance?

Registers and schemes to check

By law, anyone who works on gas in your home must be on the Gas Safe Register. Ask to see their Gas Safe ID card, look at both sides, and look the number up at gassaferegister.co.uk. The back of the card shows the kinds of gas work they may do. Landlords need a gas safety record every year. We don't check this for you yet.

What the job usually involves

• Boiler servicing, usually once a year, as most makers ask for to keep the warranty.
• Boiler repairs: no heating or hot water, error codes, pressure loss.
• New boilers, with registration with the maker and building control.
• Gas cookers, hobs and gas fires: fitting, servicing, disconnection.
• Gas safety records for landlords, needed every year.

How quotes and visits work

Servicing and safety records are often a fixed price. Repairs usually start with a call-out or diagnosis charge, then a price for parts. For a new boiler, expect a visit to look at the flue, the pipes and the size of your home before a written quote.

Ask for a written quote (a fixed price) rather than an estimate (a guess that can change), and for what it includes. If you agree a job in your home, you usually have 14 days to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations; if you want work to start sooner, you may have to pay for what has been done.

Safety

• If you smell gas, open windows, don't use switches or flames, turn the gas off at the meter if you can, and call the gas emergency number: 0800 111 999 in Great Britain, 0800 002 001 in Northern Ireland.
• Fit a carbon monoxide alarm near gas appliances. Headaches, dizziness or sickness that ease when you go out can be a sign of carbon monoxide.
• Never take the cover off a boiler yourself.

Insurance and TrustMark

Ask for public liability insurance before work starts. It covers damage or injury caused by the trade to you, your home or someone else. Ask for the insurer's name and the cover's end date; you can ask to see the certificate.

TrustMark is the government-endorsed quality scheme for work in and around the home. Its registered businesses agree to its code of practice, and you can look them up on trustmark.org.uk.

Guides for homeowners

• Your boiler has stopped working: what to do first
• How to compare quotes from local trades

We take jobs from anywhere in the UK: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Trades choose the postcode districts they cover.

Gas engineers by town and city

England

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland