What Is A FENSA Certificate? A Homeowner’s Guide
Whether you’re looking for a company to fit replacement windows, or perhaps you’re getting documents in order as part of selling your home, ‘FENSA’ is a term that can frequently pop up.
However, many homeowners aren’t sure what it means, why it’s important, and what potential implications could arise if their installer isn’t registered.If you are looking to replace windows and doors on your property, understanding FENSA and its importance could save you money and significant headaches later down the line.
Who Are FENSA?
Why Do FENSA Exist?
FENSA was initially established in 2002, when the Building Regulations for double glazing were amended.
By allowing authorised window and door installers to self-certify their work, the need for costly, slow individual inspections by local council Building Control is removed, and homeowners are instead provided with proof of energy efficiency and legal compliance.
To qualify as a FENSA Approved Installer, a business must successfully pass a vetting process to prove that their structure, insurance and installations comply with UK Building Regulations. This includes the following minimum standards:
- Replacement windows must achieve a maximum U-value of 1.4 W/m2K or a Window Energy Rating of band B.
- Glass in critical locations, such as doors, low-level panels and windows near floor level, must be toughened or laminated.
- Habitable rooms must maintain a minimum level of background ventilation, typically through trickle vents.
- Bedroom windows must provide at least the same fire escape potential as the windows they are replacing and a specified unobstructed opening distance.
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What Is A FENSA Certificate?
What Does The Certificate Look Like?
The formal document includes the property address, the installer’s FENSA registration number, the date of installation, a description of the work carried out (including the number and type of windows/doors replaced), confirmation of Building Regulations compliance, and a unique certificate reference number.
You will receive this certificate by post and email. A copy will also be sent to your local authority’s building control team and logged on the FENSA official register.
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Why Is A FENSA Certificate So Important?
There are many reasons as to why a FENSA certificate is so important.
Selling Your Property
Conveyancing solicitors will look for Building Regulations compliance for any replaced windows. If the certificate is missing, it will flag as an issue. In this situation, you could find your buyer’s solicitor demanding that you obtain retrospective approval from the local authority, which requires an inspection.
You could also be required to obtain an indemnity insurance policy to cover the buyer against potential enforcement action.
Without a FENSA certificate, sellers may also find buyers using the absence of certificates as a negotiating point to reduce the purchase price, or, in extreme cases, the buyer could withdraw from the sale entirely.
Consumer Protection
FENSA-registered installers are required to offer an insurance-backed guarantee on every installation. Therefore, if your installer is not FENSA registered, you won’t automatically receive an insurance-backed guarantee. In the unfortunate event that the company went bust, you would have no warranty protection.
Building Regulations
Local authorities have the power to take enforcement action against non-compliant window installations for up to ten years after completion.
This was increased to ten years under changes brought by the Building Safety Act 2022 for works completed after September/October 2023. For older works completed before then, a strict 12-month limit applies.
Failure to follow building regulations is a criminal offence. Should you be found non-compliant, local authorities could force you to remove and replace windows that do not meet Building Regulation standards, all at your own expense. Ignoring these rules could also lead to court cases, unlimited fines or legal action.
What If I Don’t Have A FENSA Certificate?
If your windows were replaced without a FENSA certificate, or equivalent Building Regulations approval from your local authority, several problems can arise, as detailed above.
If a FENSA-approved installer didn’t carry out your window installation, you can apply for a regularisation certificate. This can be done through your local authority’s Building Control team, who’ll assess the work done and issue you with a certificate of compliance if everything meets the requirements. If, instead, you’ve just lost your FENSA certificate, a replacement can be ordered for around £30.
It’s important to note that FENSA is not the only competent person scheme. CERTASS is another major scheme, and a Building Regulations completion or regularisation certificate from the council is another suitable valid proof of Building Regulations compliance. A buyer’s solicitor should accept any of these forms of proof without question.