How often should a boiler be serviced

How often a domestic boiler needs servicing in the UK, what a service actually covers, and why landlords have a separate legal duty.

Annually is the standard advice, and most manufacturer warranties require it. Skipping a year rarely breaks anything immediately, but it is usually the condition attached to the warranty you would want to rely on.

What a service covers

• Visual inspection of the appliance, its flue and its ventilation.
• Checking gas pressure and flow against the manufacturer's figures.
• A combustion analysis on the flue gases.
• Checking the seals, the heat exchanger and the safety devices.
• Cleaning the parts that need it and reporting anything that does not pass.

If you rent out the property

A landlord in England, Wales and Scotland must arrange an annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer on every gas appliance and flue, and give the tenant a copy of the record. That is a legal duty and it is separate from a service, although the two are often done in the same visit.

Timing

Late summer and early autumn are the quietest weeks for heating engineers. Booking then means a shorter wait and a fault found before you need the heating rather than during the first cold snap.

Boiler service is listed under plumbing on Halo Hive.

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Last reviewed 2026-09-01.