What are Competent Person Schemes?
Competent Person Schemes were introduced by the Government to allow individuals and enterprises to self-certify their work complies with the building regulations without having to submit a separate building notice to building control and incur a charge.
An installer registered with a Competent Person Scheme should notify the local authority building control team when work is complete. They do this via their scheme operator (such as FENSA/ELECSA etc) and will issue you with a certificate of compliance under the building regulations either directly or through their scheme operator.
If you don't receive your certificate within 30 days of completion, contact the Competent Person Scheme operator that your installer is registered with and they may be able to help you resolve the matter.
If you don't use an installer registered with a Competent Person Scheme you will need to submit a building notice and pay a fee so that we can arrange inspection of the work for you.
To find an installer registered with a Competent Person Scheme in your area, you can visit the LABC website here. You can check that your chosen installer is with a scheme here and enter your postcode or the name of the installer in the relevant search box.
Where can I find my certificate?
If you need to find a copy certificate for Competent Person Scheme work carried out to your property you will need to know the name of the scheme they belong to, such as FENSA, NICEIC, when and who carried out the work. You should then contact their Competent Person Scheme governing body and request a copy certificate.
This is a list of the types of work covered by Competent Person Schemes.
- Installation of gas appliances
- Any electrical installation work in dwellings
- Electrical installation work only in association with other work (e.g. kitchen installations, boiler installations)
- Replacement windows, doors, roof windows, or roof lights in dwellings
- Installation or replacement of hot water and heating systems connected to gas appliances
- Installation or replacement of a heating or hot water system connected to an electric heat source
- Installation of plumbing and water supply systems and bathrooms and sanitary ware
- Replacement of roof coverings on pitched and flat roofs (not including solar panels)
- Installation of cavity wall insulation
- Installation of solid wall insulation
- Installation of fixed air conditioning or mechanical ventilation systems
- Installation of microgeneration or renewable technologies