Boiler service cost UK: what to pay in 2026
An annual boiler service is one of the cheapest jobs on a landlord's calendar, and one of the most quietly important: it keeps the manufacturer's warranty alive, it discharges a legal maintenance duty most landlords have never heard of, and it pairs naturally with the CP12 visit. Here's what it should cost in 2026 and what you should get for the money.
By the FixQuotes editorial team
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- 6 min read
Key takeaways
- A standalone annual gas boiler service typically costs £80 to £140 in 2026, with most quotes around £100. London runs £90 to £160.
- A service is not the same as the annual gas safety check (CP12). HSE is explicit that one does not stand in for the other.
- Landlords have two separate gas duties: an annual safety check, and keeping appliances maintained. HSE's advice is to service to the manufacturer's instructions, annually if there are none.
- Bundling the CP12 and the service into one visit typically costs £100 to £160 and is cheaper than booking two separate appointments.
- Most manufacturer warranties are conditional on an annual service with records kept. Skip a year and the warranty usually lapses.
How much does a boiler service cost in 2026?
Across the UK, a standalone annual service on a gas boiler typically costs £80 to £140, and most landlords pay around £100. The visit takes about an hour. London and the South East sit at the top of the range — £90 to £160 is normal in the capital — while the North, Scotland and Wales typically come in 10 to 15% under the UK average.
Other boiler types cost more. An oil boiler service typically runs £90 to £150, because the visit is longer and usually includes the tank and supply line. LPG sits slightly above mains gas. Back boilers and older floor-standing models take longer to open up and inspect, so expect a higher quote, though there's too little published pricing to give an honest national range for them.
Two things move the price more than the boiler itself: when you book (winter breakdown season is the worst time to ask for a routine service) and who you ask (national chains tend to charge more than vetted local engineers for the same hour of work).
What does a proper boiler service include?
A proper service is an inspection plus maintenance, not a glance and a sticker. The engineer should visually inspect the boiler, flue and visible pipework for corrosion and leaks, run the boiler and take combustion readings, check the gas pressure and the flue is venting safely, clean the burner, condensate trap and heat exchanger where the readings call for it, check seals and electrical connections, and record what they found. The HSE's guidance on maintaining gas appliances describes effective maintenance as examining the physical condition and safe functioning of the appliance, pipework, ventilation and flue, plus performance tests.
You should finish the visit with a written service record naming what was checked and any readings taken. Keep it: it's what the manufacturer will ask for if you ever make a warranty claim, and it's useful evidence that you're meeting your maintenance duty.
Only a Gas Safe registered engineer can legally work on a gas boiler. Check the engineer's registration number before the visit, the same way you would for a CP12 gas safety check.
Is an annual boiler service a legal requirement for landlords?
Not by that name, but the duty behind it is real. Landlords have two separate legal duties under Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998: an annual safety check on every gas appliance and flue (that's the check behind the CP12 record), and a continuing duty to keep gas fittings and flues maintained in a safe condition.
The maintenance duty is the one landlords miss. HSE's guidance says gas appliances should be serviced in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, and annually if no instructions are available. HSE also warns, in terms, that you should not assume an annual service covers the points required by a safety check, nor that the safety check amounts to effective maintenance. They are two different pieces of work, and for most landlords an annual service is the practical way to discharge the maintenance half.
Should you bundle the service with the CP12?
Usually, yes. Most Gas Safe engineers will do the safety check and the boiler service in one visit, and the combined price — typically £100 to £160, with multi-appliance London properties occasionally pushing higher — is consistently cheaper than paying two separate call-outs. The combined visit takes 60 to 90 minutes.
If your renewal dates have drifted apart, it's worth pulling them together. The CP12 can be done up to two months early without losing the anniversary date, which makes it easy to land both jobs on one engineer day. Full CP12 pricing is in our gas safety certificate cost guide.
Why your warranty probably requires it
Nearly every manufacturer's guarantee — Worcester Bosch, Vaillant, Ideal, Baxi and the rest — is conditional on an annual service by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with records kept. Miss a year and the warranty usually lapses, which means a £150-a-year habit is protecting a repair bill that can run £300 to £600 for a heat exchanger or fan failure. On a newer boiler with seven to ten years of cover left, the service is cheap insurance; pricing for when a boiler is genuinely beyond saving is in our boiler replacement cost guide.
If you'd rather not ring round engineers, send the job to FixQuotes once and we return three quotes for the same job from Gas Safe registered engineers, free for landlords and letting agents. Start at our gas safety certificate quotes page and ask for the service to be included, or use emergency boiler repair quotes if the boiler is already down.
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