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What is a FENSA certificate, and what if I have not got one?

Why replacement windows and doors need building regulations certification at all, what the competent person schemes actually do, and the two routes available when the paperwork does not exist.

Difficulty
beginner
Time
20 min
Read
4 min
Safety
caution

Short answer

Replacing windows and external doors is controlled work under building regulations. A registered installer self-certifies through a competent person scheme — FENSA and CERTASS in England and Wales — and lodges a certificate. Without one, the options are a retrospective regularisation application to the council or an indemnity policy.

Replacement glazing has been controlled work for a long time now, because a replacement window has to meet requirements for thermal performance, ventilation, safety glass and, where relevant, means of escape. The certificate is the evidence that it did. It is one of the standard questions in a conveyancing enquiry pack and its absence stops sales.

Safety

Missing certification for replacement windows is discovered during conveyancing, at the point where it is most expensive and most disruptive to resolve. If you know it is missing, deal with it before marketing the property, not after an offer has been accepted.

Step by step

  1. Understand why the certificate exists.A replacement window has to satisfy building regulations on thermal performance, on ventilation, on safety glazing in critical locations and on escape where the room requires it. Rather than the council inspecting every window job, registered installers self-certify their own work through a scheme.
  2. Know which scheme applies.In England and Wales the schemes for replacement glazing include FENSA and CERTASS, among others. Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own building standards systems with different arrangements. Ask the installer which scheme they belong to before the job, and verify it on the scheme's own register.
  3. Check whether you have one.FENSA and the other schemes maintain searchable registers by address. Search yours before assuming anything. Certificates are also frequently in the deeds pack from when you bought the house.
  4. Know what work needs it.Replacement windows and replacement external doors in an existing opening. Repairs do not — replacing a sealed unit, a hinge or a handle is not controlled work. New openings, and windows forming part of a larger project, are usually covered by the building control application for that project instead.
  5. Ask before the work, not after.Confirm in writing, before accepting a quote, that the installer is scheme-registered, that the certificate is included in the price, and how long it takes to arrive. An installer who is not registered must instead put a building regulations application in to the council, which is possible but must be arranged in advance.
  6. Chase the certificate if it does not arrive.Certificates are normally issued within a few weeks of the work being notified. If nothing has come, contact the installer and the scheme. Do not let it drift — it is far easier to resolve while the installer is still trading.
  7. Deal with a missing certificate: regularisation.Apply to the local authority for a regularisation certificate. Building control will want to inspect the installation, may require work to bring it up to standard, and will charge a fee. It produces a genuine building control certificate, which is the strongest outcome.
  8. Deal with a missing certificate: indemnity insurance.A building regulations indemnity policy covers the buyer against enforcement action. It is cheap, it is instant, and it is what most conveyancers propose. It does not make the work compliant and it is usually voided if you approach the council about the same work — so choose one route, not both.
  9. Take advice before choosing between them.Your conveyancer will have a view based on the buyer, the lender and the age of the work. As a rule, approaching the council rules out an indemnity policy afterwards, so the decision has to be made in the right order.
  10. Keep the paperwork with the deeds.Certificate, installer's guarantee, any insurance-backed guarantee, and the specification. All of it gets asked for at sale, and an insurance-backed guarantee is worthless if you cannot produce it.

Questions people ask

Do I need a certificate for one replacement window?

Replacing a window in an existing opening is controlled work regardless of how many. One window still needs certifying, either by a registered installer or by a building regulations application.

What if the installer has gone out of business?

The scheme may still be able to confirm the notification if it was lodged. If it was never lodged, the routes are regularisation or an indemnity policy. The installer's guarantee is likely worthless, which is what an insurance-backed guarantee is for.

Does a FENSA certificate prove the work is good?

It certifies that the installer, who is registered and audited by the scheme, has self-certified the installation as compliant with building regulations. It is not an independent inspection of your particular job.

What about Scotland and Northern Ireland?

Different systems apply. Scotland's building standards system uses a building warrant and completion certificate arrangement with its own certification schemes; Northern Ireland has its own building control process. Check the requirements for your nation.

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