The job removal teams usually leave to someone else
Most removal firms will happily lift a washing machine or fridge, but many draw a line at gas appliances. There is a legal reason. In Great Britain, working on gas fittings is regulated, and that includes disconnecting and reconnecting an appliance. This article explains what the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 say and what the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advises householders. It covers Great Britain only: the regulation is marked as applying to England, Wales and Scotland, and Northern Ireland has separate arrangements not examined here. This is general information, and the regulations and HSE guidance themselves are the authority.
What counts as “work” on a gas fitting
Regulation 3 says no person shall carry out any work in relation to a gas fitting or gas storage vessel unless they are competent to do so. It adds that employers and self-employed people must not carry out such work unless they belong to a class of persons approved by the HSE. The regulations define “work” broadly. It includes installing or reconnecting the fitting, and maintaining, servicing, permanently adjusting, disconnecting, repairing, altering or renewing it or purging it of air or gas. It includes changing the position of a fitting that is not readily movable, and removing the fitting.
That definition matters for a move, because taking a gas cooker out of a kitchen involves disconnecting and, at the other end, reconnecting. There is an exception in the definition: it does not include the connection or disconnection of a bayonet fitting or other self-sealing connector. A separate provision also excludes replacing a hose or regulator on a portable or mobile space heater, or a hose connecting a refillable cylinder to installation pipework.
What HSE tells householders
HSE’s guidance for home owners says anyone employed to work on gas appliances in domestic premises must be a Gas Safe registered engineer and competent in that area of gas work. The engineer’s competencies are marked on the back of their Gas Safe Register identity card, and you can ring the Gas Safe Register or check its website to confirm registration. HSE strongly advises that gas appliances, flues and pipework are installed, regularly maintained and serviced at least annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
HSE also says it is illegal for anyone to use a gas appliance they suspect is unsafe. Turn it off and do not touch it until a Gas Safe registered engineer has checked it. For a suspected gas leak, its advice is to call the National Grid gas emergency number, 0800 111 999, open all doors and windows, and shut off the gas supply at the meter control valve if you know where it is.
What to ask a removal firm and your own engineer
Ask the removal firm, in writing, whether its staff will disconnect or reconnect any gas appliance. If the answer is no, which is common, arrange a Gas Safe registered engineer yourself, for the old property and the new one. Ask the engineer to confirm they hold the right category for the appliance type, since the competencies are shown on the ID card, and keep the invoice or certificate. For a rented home, check who is responsible for the gas appliances before you touch anything.
If you are moving a cooker that runs on a flexible hose with a self-sealing connector, the definition of “work” has an exception, but that should not be relied on without professional confirmation, because it depends on the exact type of connector and installation. When in doubt, use a registered engineer.
Before you use gas in the new home
Do not use a gas appliance in the new property if you suspect a problem. HSE says the appliance should be left off until checked. Remember that HSE strongly recommends carbon monoxide alarms as one useful precaution, complying with British Standard EN 50291 and carrying a British or European approval mark such as a Kitemark, though alarms are not a replacement for maintenance. HSE says CO alarms cost from around £15, though prices vary.
It is also worth booking a check on the boiler and other appliances soon after moving, since HSE advises annual servicing and you may not know when the previous owner last had one done.
The bottom line
In Great Britain, disconnecting, reconnecting or removing a gas appliance is regulated gas work that must be done by a competent person from a class approved by the HSE, and HSE’s householder guidance says anyone employed to do gas work in a home must be a Gas Safe registered engineer. Do not assume your removal team will do it, check the engineer’s ID card for the right category, and have appliances checked after moving in.