A method for setting a temperature of a sensor element, which is heatable with the aid of a heating device, for detecting at least one property of a gas in a measuring gas chamber includes at least one regulation of the heating device, the regulation including: (a) detecting at least one actual value of at least one controlled variable of the sensor element, (b) ascertaining a setpoint value of the at least one controlled variable, (c) generating at least one manipulated variable of the heating device with the aid of a comparison of the setpoint value and the actual value, and (d) in a monitoring step, checking at least one parameter used to set the temperature, and the at least one manipulated variable being influenced as a function of the check.