How to hire
Match the visit to the job first. Annual servicing, breakdown diagnosis, landlord safety checks and new appliance connections are different jobs with different prices, so say which one you are buying when you call. A gas engineer owns everything gas: boilers, fires, cookers, pipework and flues. Water-only faults such as dripping taps belong to a plumber. A service keeps the appliance running to the maker's instructions; a safety check verifies it is safe against a fixed legal list, and one does not automatically cover the other, so name the one you want [3] [6].
Check registration before any gas work starts. Anyone paid to work on gas must be on the Gas Safe Register, so a plumber or handyperson without registration must not touch gas parts [9]. Ask to see the engineer's photo ID card when they arrive, then check the licence number and the work categories on the register before they start [1]. The card alone is not proof, so always cross-check the number yourself and confirm the engineer is qualified for your exact job, whether boilers, cookers or fires. If the details do not match, do not let the work go ahead.
If you let property, the annual check is your core duty. Every gas appliance and flue must be checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer, the record kept for at least two years, and existing tenants given a copy within 28 days, with new tenants receiving one before they move in [2] [3]. The record must name each appliance and flue checked, the engineer and registration number, the date, defects found and action taken [3]. Checks can be renewed up to two months early without losing the deadline date, so diary the renewal and book a few weeks ahead [3].
Telford and Wrekin adds two local wrinkles worth knowing before a bigger job. A new or replacement boiler is notifiable work under the Building Regulations, so the installer should notify the council through a competent person scheme and leave you a compliance certificate for the house file [11]. And the borough holds eight conservation areas, including Wellington and the Severn Gorge, where even small exterior changes can need permission; inside the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site an Article 4 direction means minor works that need no consent elsewhere can need it there [10] [12].
The stock itself shapes the visit. Older terraces around Wellington, Dawley and Madeley can mean tight loft hatches, shared flue routes and awkward parking, while cottages in the Gorge add old stonework and narrow lanes, and the new-build estates around Lawley tend to be straightforward. Say where you live when you book, describe the access and where an engineer can park, and ask how long the visit should take.
Get the price structure in writing before anyone lifts a tool. A service or landlord check should be a fixed price stating which appliances are covered; a breakdown visit should state the diagnosis fee, the hourly rate after that, and whether parts are new or reconditioned. Get two or three itemised quotes on the same written scope, each separating labour, materials and VAT, and treat an outlier far above or below the rest as a question rather than a bargain. Keep deposits small and pay the balance after the work and the paperwork are complete.
If you smell gas, act first and call second. Open doors and windows, turn off the supply at the meter only if it is safe to reach, and avoid switches, naked flames and anything that could spark. Leave the property and call the national gas emergency line on 0800 111 999 from outside; the line runs free round the clock and an emergency engineer will make the situation safe [4]. Do not go back inside until you are told it is safe, and arrange a Gas Safe engineer visit before using the appliances again [4].
On completion, insist on the written record: a service record or landlord gas safety record for the work done, naming the engineer and registration number [3]. Test the heating and hot water with the engineer present, and confirm any guarantee in writing with its length and what it covers. Where a firm claims TrustMark membership, check the business on the TrustMark register for your trade before you rely on it [8]. File every quote, invoice and record where you can find it at the next service.
A typical job runs the same course whatever the firm. You describe the job, the engineer diagnoses on site or quotes from photos for simple work, the itemised quote lands before anything is booked, the work goes ahead on the agreed date, and the balance follows once the heating runs and the paperwork is in your hand. The written quote should name each appliance and task, separate labour, materials and VAT, state the diagnosis fee and any hourly rate for fault-finding, set a start date, and give the guarantee length and cover; for a new boiler it should also promise the building compliance certificate that follows the install [11].
Pricing
As of autumn 2026, rough Telford ranges run like this: a one-off gas boiler service £80–£120, averaging around £100; a landlord gas safety certificate £60–£90, averaging around £80, with extra appliances typically adding £10–£15 each; and a powerflush £350–£800 depending on radiator count [5] [6] [7]. Telford usually sits below London and South East prices for equivalent work [6].
Full boiler replacement is the biggest ticket and the hardest to compare at a glance. Judge it as one installed total: the boiler and its output for the house, the flue route and any new core through wall or roof, pipework and controls, condensate drainage, cleaning and filter protection, and any access kit where the flue runs high. Finance and cover bundles change the monthly shape of the bill rather than its size, so compare the installed totals first.
Repairs and cover sit apart from servicing. Boiler repairs typically run £120–£750 for parts and labour [5], while boiler cover costs £8–£13 a month, or £180–£300 a year with central heating included [5]. Cover bundles the annual service with breakdown help but works out dearer over the year than a one-off service, so compare the two before you sign [5].
What moves the price is the boiler's age and parts availability, sludge in the system, the number of appliances on the check, access to the flue and condensate route, and whether the visit is planned or urgent [5] [6] [7]. Servicing in late summer is routinely easier to book than a breakdown slot in the first cold snap. Ask whether combining a service with the safety check on one visit trims the total.
Certificates and breakdowns are visit economics. A landlord visit turns on access: a tenant who cannot be reached twice in a row costs another appointment, so confirm the occupier is expecting the engineer. A breakdown turns on urgency and parts: an evening call-out in the cold snap with a part ordered in lands far above a daytime visit with a clean and reset. Ask which of the two you are paying for — the visit, or the visit plus the fix — and where the spending cap sits.
Get in writing what the visit covers: which appliances and checks, parts and labour split separately, whether VAT is added on top, and that you receive the written record. Never authorise open-ended fault-finding with no spending limit; agree the point at which the engineer stops and calls you.
Red flags
Starts gas work without showing a Gas Safe ID card, or with card details that do not match the register [1].
Condemns or caps off your appliance but cannot explain why in plain terms or show the readings.
Services the boiler with no analyser readings and no written record of what was checked.
Quotes a repair without naming the part, its price, and whether it is new or reconditioned.
Demands full payment in cash before starting, with no written quote or terms.
Gives one fixed price for a large job with no breakdown of labour, materials and VAT.
Will not put the scope, price and start date in writing before lifting a tool.
Presses a cover plan before giving the one-off repair price.