Do you need a gas compliance certificate to sell or rent your home in Perth?

If you’re getting ready to sell or lease out a Perth property with gas appliances, the compliance certificate for any gas work is one of those documents that’s easy to overlook until someone asks for it, usually at the worst possible time.

What the certificate actually proves

A gas compliance certificate is issued by a licensed gas fitter after gas fitting work is completed, confirming the installation was done safely and meets WA regulations and Australian Standards. It’s not a general safety inspection of the whole house; it specifically documents that a piece of gas work, whether a new appliance connection, a gas point installation, or a repair, was carried out to code by someone qualified to do it.

Why it matters when selling

A property sale doesn’t legally require you to produce a gas compliance certificate for every past piece of gas work, but in practice it comes up often during due diligence, and its absence can slow things down or raise questions from a buyer’s building inspector. If gas work was done without proper certification, whether by a previous owner or an unlicensed tradesperson, that’s a bigger issue: uncertified gas work can affect insurance validity and may need to be inspected and re-certified before settlement.

Why it matters for rentals

For a rental property, the responsibility sits with the property owner to ensure gas installations are safe. If a tenant reports a suspected gas issue and it turns out the underlying installation was never properly certified, that becomes a liability question for the landlord, not the tenant. Keeping compliance paperwork on file for any gas work done during your ownership protects you if a dispute or an insurance claim ever comes up.

What to do if you’re missing paperwork

1. Check with the gas fitter or company who did the original work, since many keep records beyond what’s given to the customer at the time.
2. If that’s a dead end, arrange for a currently licensed gas fitter to inspect the installation.
3. If it passes, they can issue updated certification reflecting the installation’s current condition.
4. If it doesn’t pass, get a written quote for the remedial work needed before you list the property or advertise the rental.

Situation	What to check	Who to involve
Selling with existing gas work	Locate certificates for any gas fitting done	Original gas fitter or a licensed inspector
No certificate on file	Arrange an inspection and re-certification	Licensed gas fitter
New tenancy starting	Confirm gas installations are certified and safe	Property owner, licensed gas fitter
Gas work found uncertified	Get it inspected before proceeding	Licensed gas fitter

What re-inspection and certification typically costs

If you need an existing installation inspected and re-certified, the cost is generally in line with a standard gas fitter callout, since the visit involves checking the installation, testing for leaks, and confirming it meets current standards, rather than any major remedial work. If the inspection uncovers a genuine fault or non-compliant work, the cost rises to cover whatever repair or reinstallation is needed to bring it up to standard. Either way, it’s a worthwhile expense to budget for early in a sale or lease-up timeline rather than discovering the need for it during a final walkthrough.

This is general information about how gas compliance certification typically works in WA, not legal advice for your specific sale, purchase or tenancy. For questions about your particular obligations as a buyer, seller, landlord or tenant, speak with your conveyancer, property manager or a solicitor.

To find a licensed gas fitter who can inspect or certify an installation, our gas fitting category ranks Perth operators using our published scoring methodology. You can also browse the full Perth plumbing directory for related trades if your sale or lease-up touches more than gas.