Scottish homeowners are being urged to act now, with warnings that certain common mistakes as temperatures drop could leave them on the wrong side of their home insurance. Speaking on BBC Morning Live on Friday, October 9, journalist Holly Hamilton advised households to give their heating a trial run sooner rather than later.
She said that if you're getting an engineer out, check their ID or run the risk of insurance issues. After months of boilers sitting idle through summer, faults often only come to light when people first switch the system back on in colder weather, she explained.
Don't delay testing your heating
Her message was simple: don’t leave it until just before Christmas to find out something isn’t working. With demand for repairs set to rise, she also explained why it’s important to know who you’re letting into your home - and how to check they’re legitimate.
Holly said that if you suspect an issue with your boiler, or it’s due for an annual service, you should check the Gas Safe Register before booking anyone to inspect or fix it. Stressing that "gas is very, very dangerous", Holly said: "You do not want a situation where you’re saying 'my mate knows a guy'. You want to make sure that this person is certified. You need somebody that is qualified, somebody that is registered for the work that they are actually doing."
What is the Gas Safe Register?
Holly said one of the main things to check for is a Gas Safe Register logo and ID, which should confirm they’re a Gas Safe registered engineer. And if you’re searching for a CORGI-registered engineer, it’s worth remembering CORGI has since been replaced.
According to Checkatrade.com: "CORGI (the Council for Registered Gas Installers) was the UK's official gas registration body until 2009, when it was replaced by the Gas Safe Register. Gas Safe is now the only official body for gas registration in the UK, Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey." So if you're looking for a "CORGI engineer" today, what you actually need is a Gas Safe registered engineer. Every legitimate gas engineer working in the UK must be on this register - it's a legal requirement under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations for working with gas.
Holly warned: "If you have had work done by someone who is not on the [Gas Safe] register, it can affect your house insurance. I don’t want to scare people, but this is about making sure you do a very simple check that can save a lot of hassle."
How to check if an engineer is Gas Safe registered
Go to the Gas Safe Register website. You can look up anyone and check to see if they have the right qualifications for the job that they are doing. If you don’t want to go online, you can phone the number 0800 408 5500.
Holly said: "If you want to check that they have their Gas Safe Registration, they have a Gas Safe ID. Every engineer will have a physical or digital ID card with a special seven-digit ID number. Every engineer that’s on the Gas Safe Register has to renew their license every year and their qualifications every five years."
Because of this, when checking their ID, you should look out for the following:
- Check that they match their photo
- They should have a QR code - check their digital version too to make sure it matches
- Their ID should have a Gas Safe hologram
- Check their card is valid - if it's out of date, it could mean that they are no longer registered
- Check that the company name matches who you have booked
- Check the back of their ID too - this should tell you what work they're qualified to carry out
As Holly says, "being Gas Safe Registered doesn’t mean that you can automatically do every job you’re asking them to do". For instance, one engineer might only be qualified to work on water heaters, while another may be limited to gas boiler work.
If an engineer has an issue, it's a red flag
Holly warns that if someone is unwilling to show ID and makes a scene about it, that’s a "red flag". She explained: "If an engineer is registered, they shouldn’t have a problem. If you’re asking for ID and they're making a faff about it, that is a red flag."
She concluded: "They’ve done the work, they have registered themselves. They will be very happy to show that off."
