Competent person schemes: the certificates behind everyday building work
By the Offrano editorial team · · 4 min read
New windows, a replacement boiler, a rewire, cavity wall insulation or a new roof covering are all building work that has to meet the Building Regulations. Most homeowners never deal with Building Control for them, because the installer is registered with a competent person scheme and certifies the work itself. The proof of that is a certificate you receive afterwards, and it tends to become important years later, when you sell. This guide explains how the system works in England and what to keep.
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Self-certification instead of Building Control
Installers in the building trade can join a government-authorised competent person scheme to self-certify certain types of building work, instead of getting approval from Building Control each time. The scheme vouches for its members' competence, the installer notifies the work, and the scheme arranges for the local authority to be informed and for the homeowner to receive a certificate.
If an installer is not registered for the type of work concerned, the alternative is to apply to Building Control before the work starts and pay its fee. Either way, compliance with the Building Regulations has to be shown.
Source: gov.uk
Which schemes cover which work
The government publishes the list of authorised schemes and the types of work each may certify. Some are familiar names. FENSA and CERTASS cover replacement windows and doors. The Gas Safe Register, which technically is not a competent person scheme, gives its engineers the same responsibility for Building Regulations compliance for gas appliances. OFTEC covers oil-fired systems and HETAS solid fuel. Certsure, trading as NICEIC, and NAPIT cover electrical installations and other trades. CompetentRoofer, run by the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, covers roof coverings.
Insulation is covered too: several schemes can certify cavity and solid wall insulation in existing buildings. Electrical schemes feed a single register of electricians so that householders can check a registration.
- windows and doors: FENSA, CERTASS and other listed schemes
- gas appliances: Gas Safe Register
- oil and solid fuel: OFTEC, HETAS and others
- electrics in homes: Certsure (NICEIC), NAPIT and others
- roof coverings: CompetentRoofer
- wall insulation: several schemes including CERTASS, Certsure and NAPIT
Source: gov.uk
Why the certificate matters when you sell
When you sell a home in England, the information a buyer's solicitor asks for includes planning permission and building regulation certificates, FENSA or CERTASS certificates for windows, guarantees and warranties, and records of electrical checks. A missing certificate does not automatically stop a sale, but it raises questions: the buyer may ask for the work to be regularised, for an indemnity policy, or for a price reduction.
Because certificates are posted or emailed after the job, they are easy to lose. The best time to deal with a missing one is shortly after the work, when the installer and the scheme can still trace it.
Source: gov.uk
Checking before the work starts
Ask each installer which scheme it is registered with and for which types of work, then check the registration on the scheme's own website. Registration is per type of work: an electrician registered for domestic electrical installations is not automatically registered for heating systems. If the job combines trades, such as a bathroom with electrics and plumbing, ask who certifies which part.
A quote should say who will notify the work and when you will receive the certificate. If an installer says certification is 'not needed' for a boiler, a consumer unit or windows, ask why before you accept.
Keep every certificate with the property's deeds, planning decisions and guarantees, in paper or scanned. When you come to sell, a tidy file answers the buyer's solicitor's questions in days rather than weeks, and it helps any future installer understand what was done and when.
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Wales operates its own Building Regulations but uses competent person schemes in a similar way. Scotland has a different building standards system with building warrants and its own certification arrangements, and Northern Ireland has its own building control system. If you live outside England, check the rules with your local authority's building control or building standards service.
Requests through Offrano
Our request forms go to exactly one business that works in the trade in your area and buys the request. We check that it is a registered business, but not its scheme membership. So check the scheme register yourself. We email you the business's name, address and phone number before it sees your details, and it costs you nothing.