Hello Everyone… beware what you pay for and check the service is done correctly.
I understand that all engineers listed on the OpenRent system are Gas Safe registered, it’s important to note that Gas Safe registration only certifies an engineer is legally permitted to work on gas appliances—it does not mean they are held accountable to broader trade standards such as those upheld by the APHC (Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors) or HHIC (Heating and Hot Water Industry Council)
Gas Safe does not inspect or enforce the quality of annual servicing work unless there is a direct safety risk. As a result, landlords can easily be misled into thinking a boiler has been properly serviced when, in fact, key procedures are being skipped.
In my case, engineers have neglected fundamental manufacturer service steps for my Vaillant boilers. Some of the clear warning signs of poor service include:
No combustion analyser used.
MAG filter not touched.
Inhibitor not checked or mentioned.
Engineer only on site for 20–30 minutes.
No casing opened or internal components cleaned.
These omissions are not minor — they directly lead to premature system faults and costly repairs. I believe OpenRent has a duty to ensure landlords are made aware that Gas Safe registration alone is not a guarantee of service quality, and to offer guidance on what proper servicing should look like.
So when you next have a boiler annual service, make sure the engineer follows the boiler manufacturers service requirments, because many engineers don’t do the service properly.
In my opinion you need a gas engineer who specialises in a specific brand(s) if you are expecting a full and detailed service, and it would cost more than £40
A brand specialist will carry spares, so is far more equipped in being able to resolve issues caused by deeper probing of the boiler. This is an inhibiting factor for “generic” engineers. Wise ones have learned to leave stuff alone.
I find general GE are much more willing to service newer boilers in more depth as they are less likely to be problematic when disturbing seals etc.
Answering this as a LL and a (until recently) gas safe registered (now retired) heating engineer.
A Gas Safety Certificate concerns the safety of the property and appliance/s within. It mainly looks at tightness (no gas leaks), combustion, removal of combusted gases, the stability and condition of the appliance and ventilation. There are supplementary checks on things like electrical bonding, pipework and the gas meter itself.
I would always service boilers and fires within the cost of the certificate, but many (in my experience especially larger) firms will only carry out the bare minimum checks and nothing more. When it comes to British Gas they’re even worse from what I’ve seen, relying solely on flue gas analysis.
I would have to disagree slightly with the previous post. Most Gas Safe registered guys should be able to competently work on numerous manufacturers appliances. Carrying spares for any eventuality is almost impossible and any good suppliers should either carry stuff or have it in for the next day.
One occasion where I would seriously consider using the manufacturers own engineers is for breakdowns. Most do this as a fixed cost (£300-400) including up to 5 spare parts and it very often works out cheaper than getting guys such as myself in. Many spares such as fans, PCBs and gas valves can easily be £200 plus VAT or more at trade prices and quite often a part can go down and take others with it. In the past I’ve had to give people bills almost as much as a new boiler because it’s been a chain reation of failed components.
I agree with Jake2 when it comes to boilers being SERVICED and Antony10 when a CP12 is being issued. Many years of experience dealing with plumbers and heating engineers as well as those associated with a specific brands have made it very clear to me that you, as the owner, have to know what your particular boiler(s) requires as part of a service. An engineer’s entire visit for the CP12 necessary checks can be completed within 30 mins if done efficiently. Not less. No part of this requires them to check your magnetic filter or inhibitor levels.Just gas tightness and combustion emissions safety.
There is no way a full service and CP12 can be done inside 1h. Just look at the list given by any manufacturer in their boiler manual under service guidlines. These do include partial disassembley of the guts of the boiler to check/replace parts as well as filter and inhibitor level checks.
My empircal data (or bad luck) shows that at about 4/5 of ‘engineers’ I have employed are doing a substandard job when it comes to servicing. CP12 is usually much better as round here (Central London) the rate is about £80 per cert and actual working time around 20 mins so quite well paid.
The only thing I’d say in reply is that different manufacturers stipulate different servicing procedures. For instance Worcester Bosch ask that you take a fan pressure reading early on in the servicing procedure. Whether or not you then have to clean the heat exchanger is dependant on that reading, making a HUGE difference to how long the service will take.