UK Competent Person Schemes — Self-Certification

A competent person scheme (CPS) allows registered installers to self-certify that their work complies with Building Regulations without the need for a separate building control inspection. The installer notifies the relevant scheme operator, who then notifies the local authority on behalf of the installer and issues a compliance certificate to the householder. This saves time and cost compared to making a separate building regulations application.

If notifiable work is carried out without using a CPS member or obtaining building control approval, the local authority can require the work to be opened up for inspection, or in the worst case, removed and redone. It also causes problems when selling the property — conveyancing solicitors check for building regulations compliance certificates. Retrospective regularisation is possible (for a fee) but is not guaranteed and may require intrusive inspection.

Notifiable work includes: replacement windows and doors, electrical work in kitchens/bathrooms/outdoors (Part P), gas appliance installation (Part J), solid fuel appliance and flue installation (Part J), hot water and heating systems (Part G/L), cavity wall insulation, and renewable energy installations. Some minor electrical work (like-for-like socket replacement, adding a fused spur) is non-notifiable and does not require CPS membership or building control.

No. Competent person schemes only exist for specific types of work that are controlled under Building Regulations. General building work (extensions, structural alterations, conversions) always requires a building control application — there is no CPS route for these. However, individual aspects of a larger project (e.g., the electrical work within an extension) can be self-certified by a CPS-registered installer.