Gas Safe claims on your website

Why Gas Safe claims matter so much

For customers, "Gas Safe registered" is one of the few trade claims they recognise and know to look for. That makes it powerful on a website, and it makes misuse serious. Trading Standards guidance describes the Gas Safe Register as the only gas engineer registration scheme approved by the Health and Safety Executive, and notes that under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, engineers doing domestic and certain other gas work in Great Britain must be registered with it.^[1]

HSE's own consumer guidance puts it simply: anyone employed to work on gas appliances in domestic premises must be Gas Safe registered.^[2] If your website says or implies that you do gas work, the registration has to be real and current.

Who can make the claim

The claim belongs to the registered business and the registered engineers working for it. In practice that raises a few common situations on plumbing websites:

If you subcontract gas work to a registered business, be precise. Say the work is carried out by a named Gas Safe registered partner, rather than implying your own firm holds the registration.

The logo is not decoration

Many trade websites carry a strip of logos in the footer, sometimes copied from a template. With Gas Safe that habit is risky. Trading Standards guidance says the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 specifically bans displaying a trust mark, quality mark or similar logo without authorisation, and bans claiming approval or endorsement that a business does not have. It adds that particular care should be taken with the Gas Safe logo. Trading Standards guidance warns businesses to take care when membership lapses or is cancelled, and not to use a logo without authorisation.^[1]

The guidance also says responsibility extends to claims made by advertising agencies on a business's behalf.^[1] In other words, if your web designer adds a logo you are not entitled to, the problem is still yours. Any designer who adds trade logos without asking for proof is not protecting you.

How to show registration properly

The aim is to make the claim easy to verify. A good credentials section on a plumbing website does four things:

1. States the business registration number in text, not only inside an image, so it can be read, copied and found by search engines.
2. Explains how to check. HSE's guidance describes three routes: finding an engineer by postcode on the Gas Safe Register, entering the licence number from the engineer's ID card to confirm who is at the door, and texting "Gas" plus the business registration number or the engineer's seven-digit licence number to 85080.^[2]
3. Links to the official register rather than a screenshot of your entry.
4. Says which work it covers, for example boilers, cookers and fires, matching the categories your engineers hold.

It is also worth reminding customers to ask to see the engineer's Gas Safe ID card when they arrive. That simple line shows confidence and helps customers protect themselves from people who are not registered.

What happens when firms get it wrong

False Gas Safe claims are prosecuted, and the consequences go beyond a fine. In July 2026 HSE published the case of a Newcastle man who had been on the Gas Safe Register until February 2024. Between June and September 2024 he carried out gas work in five homes, having advertised on Facebook and on flyers carrying the Gas Safe logo. The work included boiler replacements, gas pipework and disconnections, and HSE found it substandard and dangerous. He pleaded guilty to ten breaches and received an eight-month prison sentence suspended for two years, along with a treatment requirement, rehabilitation activity, compensation and costs.^[3]

That case involved unsafe work as well as false advertising, which is why the sentence was severe. But it shows how easily a lapsed registration and an old advert can combine. A website, social profile or flyer that still shows the logo after registration ends is exactly the kind of evidence that appears in these cases.

Gas emergencies on a plumbing website

If your website mentions gas work, it should also tell customers what to do if they smell gas, because they may land on your page in that moment. The instruction is to call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999, open doors and windows, turn off the gas at the meter if safe to do so, and avoid naked flames, electrical switches and cellars.^[4] Putting that advice first, ahead of any sales message, is both responsible and reassuring.

A checklist for your site

• Every mention of gas work is backed by current Gas Safe registration for that type of work.
• The business registration number appears in text on the credentials or about page.
• There is a link to the official Gas Safe Register check, and an explanation of the text and ID card checks.
• The Gas Safe logo appears only if the business is authorised to use it.
• Non-registered staff are never described or pictured as gas engineers.
• Gas emergency advice appears on pages that discuss gas.
• Someone checks the site the same week if registration status changes.

The same principles apply to every other credential on the site. Water fittings approvals, trade association memberships and manufacturer accreditations should all be current, authorised and easy to check. The website essentials guide covers how to present them together.

Common questions