Which registrations does your trade need by law?

Gas Safe Register

Needed by law. Applies in the whole UK. By law, anyone who works on gas in your home must be on the Gas Safe Register. Ask to see each engineer's Gas Safe card and check it lists the work you need.

Needed for: Kitchen fitting; Boilers and central heating; Boiler servicing and repairs; Plumbing; Wood burners and stoves, when you answer yes to “Do you work on gas appliances or gas pipes, including LPG?”.

The rule: Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, regulation 3 (England, Wales and Scotland); Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 (Northern Ireland). Employers and self employed people may only do gas work if they are members of the class of persons approved by HSE, which is the Gas Safe Register.

Registers: Official register

Sources: hse.gov.uk · legislation.gov.uk · hseni.gov.uk · legislation.gov.uk · legislation.gov.uk

Architects Registration Board

Needed by law. Applies in the whole UK. Only people on the Architects Register can call themselves architects. Registered architects are qualified, must follow ARB's code and must have professional indemnity insurance.

Needed for: Architects.

The rule: Architects Act 1997, section 20: nobody may practise or carry on business under a name or title containing the word architect unless they are registered. Firms may use it only if their architecture work is controlled and supervised by a registered architect. Applies across the UK.

Registers: Official register

Sources: legislation.gov.uk · regulated-professions.service.gov.uk

Waste carrier registration

Needed by law. Applies in the whole UK. Any business that takes waste away, including its own building waste, must be registered with the environment regulator for its nation.

Needed for: Skip hire and grab lorries; Rubbish and building waste removal; House and loft clearance. Also 71 trades, including General builders; Extensions; Loft conversions, when you answer yes to “Do you take waste away from jobs, such as rubble, old fittings or garden waste?”.

The rule: England and Wales: Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989, section 1, and the Controlled Waste (Registration of Carriers and Seizure of Vehicles) Regulations 1991, regulation 2 (a business carrying building or demolition waste must register, even its own; it needs the upper tier). Scotland: since 1 November 2025, registration with SEPA under the Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018, including for a business carrying only its own waste. Northern Ireland: Controlled Waste (Registration of Carriers and Seizure of Vehicles) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999 (building and demolition waste needs the upper tier).

Registers: Register for England · Register for Wales · Register for Scotland · Register for Northern Ireland

Sources: gov.uk · legislation.gov.uk · naturalresourceswales.gov.uk · beta.sepa.scot · daera-ni.gov.uk

Asbestos licence

Needed by law. Applies in the whole UK. The most dangerous asbestos work, such as removing pipe lagging, sprayed coatings or asbestos insulating board, must by law be done by a firm with a licence.

Needed for: Demolition; Asbestos removal, when you answer yes to “Do you do asbestos work that needs a licence, such as removing lagging, sprayed coatings or asbestos insulating board?”.

The rule: Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, regulation 8 (Great Britain, licence from HSE); Control of Asbestos Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, regulation 8 (licence from HSENI): an employer must hold a licence before doing any licensable work with asbestos.

Registers: Register for England, Wales and Scotland · Register for Northern Ireland

Sources: hse.gov.uk · legislation.gov.uk · legislation.gov.uk · hseni.gov.uk

Registered building control approver

Needed by law. Applies in England and Wales. A private building control firm can only check and sign off building work if it is registered with the Building Safety Regulator.

Needed for: Building control approvers.

The rule: Building Act 1984 (as amended): private sector businesses doing building control work in England and Wales must be registered as building control approvers. In Scotland the 32 councils are the appointed verifiers for building warrants, and in Northern Ireland the councils' building control departments do this work, so there is no private building control to list there.

Registers: Register for England · Register for Wales

Sources: gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.scot · nidirect.gov.uk

Accredited energy assessor

Needed by law. Applies in the whole UK. An energy performance certificate (EPC) can only be produced by an assessor who belongs to an accreditation scheme.

Needed for: Energy assessors.

The rule: England and Wales: Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012, regulation 2(1), defines an energy assessor as a member of an approved accreditation scheme. Northern Ireland: an energy assessor must be a member of an accreditation scheme (Department of Finance). Scotland: only a member of an approved organisation can produce an EPC.

Registers: Register for England, Wales and Northern Ireland · Register for Scotland

Sources: legislation.gov.uk · gov.uk · finance-ni.gov.uk · mygov.scot

F gas company certificate

Needed by law. Applies in the whole UK. Firms that install or service air conditioning, refrigeration or heat pumps containing F gas refrigerants must hold a company certificate. Certificates come from Refcom, the F-Gas Register (Quidos) or Bureau Veritas. Refcom has a public register; for the others, ask to see the certificate.

Needed for: Heat pumps; Air conditioning, when you answer yes to “Do you install or service air conditioning, refrigeration or heat pumps that contain F gas refrigerants, such as R32 or R410A?”.

The rule: Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases Regulations 2015 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2067 as it applies in Great Britain: a company, including a sole trader, that installs, repairs, maintains or decommissions stationary refrigeration, air conditioning or heat pump equipment containing F gas for others must be certified by an approved certification body. Northern Ireland businesses must also be certified.

Registers: Refcom register

Sources: gov.uk · regulated-professions.service.gov.uk · nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Companies House

Estiquote’s rule. Applies in the whole UK. Shows the business is a real company and is still trading. Sole traders and partnerships are not companies, so they have no Companies House record: a person checks their business details instead.

Needed for: every limited company or LLP.

The rule: Every listed limited company or LLP must be active on the Companies House register, which holds the UK's register of companies (England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland).

Registers: Companies House search

Sources: gov.uk · gov.uk

Who runs the business

Estiquote’s rule. Applies in the whole UK. Shows that someone who runs the business knows about this listing and agreed to it, and how we made sure it was them.

Needed for: all firms, before they first appear on the map.

How we check: Someone who runs it confirms the listing once, before you first appear, and we check it’s them. A director, or an LLP member, has an ID check and their name must match Companies House, or they confirm with a code letter we post to the registered office. A sole trader or partner has an ID check, and we check the trading address: on the ID itself, or by a code letter or a recent bill or statement. In the ID check the person shows an identity document to Stripe, an identity checking service, which checks the document is genuine. We then check the name on it matches. They can also take a selfie, which is matched to the photo on the document. The selfie is optional. Your listing says “ID checked” whichever you choose. “What these checks mean” on your listing says whether a selfie was taken. Estiquote’s rule, in the whole UK.

What your listing says, for example:

• A company director, ID check: “Run by Hannah E., listed as a director of this company at Companies House: ID checked by Estiquote on 30 October 2026”
• An LLP member, ID check: “Run by Hannah E., listed as a member of this LLP at Companies House: ID checked by Estiquote on 30 October 2026”
• A company director, code letter: “Run by Hannah E., listed as a director of this company at Companies House: confirmed by a code letter to the registered office, 30 October 2026”
• A sole trader or partner, ID showing the trading address: “Run by Hannah E.: ID and trading address checked by Estiquote on 30 October 2026”
• A sole trader or partner, ID and a code letter: “Run by Hannah E.: ID checked, and trading address confirmed by a code letter, 30 October 2026”
• A sole trader or partner, ID and a recent bill or statement: “Run by Hannah E.: ID checked, and trading address confirmed by a recent bill or statement, 30 October 2026”

The rule: Before a firm is listed, someone who runs it (a director or LLP member shown at Companies House, the sole trader, or a partner) confirms the listing once, and we check it is them. For a company, that is an ID check (with a selfie, or the ID document alone, as the person chooses) with the name matching a current director or member at Companies House, or a code letter to the registered office. For a sole trader or partner, it is an ID check, with or without a selfie, and a check of the trading address, as there is no register to match the name against.

MCS certification

Estiquote’s rule. Applies in the whole UK. MCS is the industry standard for these installations, and most grant and export payment schemes require it.

Needed for: Heat pumps; Solar panels; Home batteries.

The rule: The Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) needs the installer to be MCS certified for the technology; the Smart Export Guarantee (England, Scotland and Wales) needs an MCS certified installation and installer, or an equivalent; Home Energy Scotland grants and loans (funded by the Scottish Government) need an MCS certified installer and product.

Registers: Official register

Sources: ofgem.gov.uk · gov.uk · homeenergyscotland.org

Electrical competent person scheme

Optional badge. Applies in England and Wales. A registered electrician belongs to a competent person scheme, such as NICEIC or NAPIT: organisations the government authorises to register electricians who sign off their own work. It can sign off notifiable electrical work itself (work the council's building control must be told about, such as a new circuit, a new fuse box or work near a bath or shower). It gives you an Electrical Installation Certificate (or a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate for a small job), and its scheme sends you a Building Regulations compliance certificate. Without a scheme, the work is signed off through building control.

The rule: In England and Wales, notifiable electrical work (a new circuit, a new consumer unit, or work near a bath or shower; in Wales also in kitchens and outdoors) needs building regulations approval unless the installer is registered with a competent person scheme, which lets them sign off their own work and give the homeowner a certificate (Building Regulations 2010). Scotland and Northern Ireland run building control differently.

Registers: Official register · NICEIC (Certsure) register · NAPIT register · OFTEC register · APHC register

Sources: gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.wales · gov.wales · napit.org.uk · assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

Windows and doors competent person scheme

Optional badge. Applies in England and Wales. A registered installer signs off replacement windows and doors themselves and gives you a certificate that they meet building regulations. Without it you'd need to apply to building control yourself.

The rule: In England and Wales, replacing windows, external doors, roof windows or rooflights needs building regulations approval unless the installer is registered with a competent person scheme, which lets them sign off their own work and give the homeowner a certificate (Building Regulations 2010). Scotland and Northern Ireland run building control differently.

Registers: Official register · FENSA register · Certass register · NICEIC (Certsure) register · NAPIT register

Sources: gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.wales

Roofing competent person scheme

Optional badge. Applies in England and Wales. A registered roofer signs off a replacement roof covering themselves and gives you a certificate that it meets building regulations, including the insulation rules.

The rule: In England and Wales, replacing the covering of a pitched or flat roof needs building regulations approval unless the installer is registered with a competent person scheme, which lets them sign off their own work and give the homeowner a certificate (Building Regulations 2010). Scotland and Northern Ireland run building control differently.

Registers: Official register · NFRC CPS (CompetentRoofer) register · NAPIT register

Sources: gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.wales

Oil heating competent person scheme

Optional badge. Applies in England and Wales. A registered technician signs off a new oil boiler or tank themselves and gives you a certificate that it meets building regulations.

The rule: In England and Wales, installing or replacing an oil boiler, oil tank or other oil heating needs building regulations approval unless the installer is registered with a competent person scheme, which lets them sign off their own work and give the homeowner a certificate (Building Regulations 2010). Scotland and Northern Ireland run building control differently.

Registers: Official register · OFTEC register · APHC register · NICEIC (Certsure) register · NAPIT register

Sources: gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.wales

Solid fuel and wood burning competent person scheme

Optional badge. Applies in England and Wales. A registered installer signs off a new wood burner or stove themselves and gives you a certificate that it meets building regulations.

The rule: In England and Wales, installing a solid fuel or wood burning stove or boiler needs building regulations approval unless the installer is registered with a competent person scheme, which lets them sign off their own work and give the homeowner a certificate (Building Regulations 2010). Scotland and Northern Ireland run building control differently.

Registers: Official register · HETAS register · APHC register · NICEIC (Certsure) register · NAPIT register · OFTEC register

Sources: gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.wales · labc.co.uk

Heating and hot water competent person scheme

Optional badge. Applies in England and Wales. A registered installer signs off a new heating system or hot water cylinder themselves and gives you a certificate that it meets building regulations.

The rule: In England and Wales, installing or replacing a heating system or hot water cylinder needs building regulations approval unless the installer is registered with a competent person scheme, which lets them sign off their own work and give the homeowner a certificate (Building Regulations 2010). Scotland and Northern Ireland run building control differently.

Registers: Official register · APHC register · Gas Safe Register · NICEIC (Certsure) register · HETAS register · NAPIT register · OFTEC register

Sources: gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.wales · cncbuildingcontrol.gov.uk · assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

Wall insulation competent person scheme

Optional badge. Applies in England and Wales. A registered installer signs off cavity, external or internal wall insulation themselves and gives you a certificate that it meets building regulations.

The rule: In England and Wales, insulating the walls of an existing home needs building regulations approval unless the installer is registered with a competent person scheme, which lets them sign off their own work and give the homeowner a certificate (Building Regulations 2010, regulation 3(1)(e) for cavity wall insulation and 3(1)(h) for work on walls under the thermal element rules). Scotland and Northern Ireland run building control differently.

Registers: Official register · Certass register · NICEIC (Certsure) register · NAPIT register

Sources: legislation.gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.wales

Air conditioning and ventilation competent person scheme

Optional badge. Applies in England and Wales. A registered installer signs off fixed air conditioning themselves and gives you a certificate that it meets building regulations.

The rule: In England and Wales, fitting a fixed air conditioning system needs building regulations approval unless the installer is registered with a competent person scheme, which lets them sign off their own work and give the homeowner a certificate (Building Regulations 2010). Scotland and Northern Ireland run building control differently.

Registers: Official register · NICEIC (Certsure) register · NAPIT register

Sources: gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.uk · gov.wales

Public liability insurance

Optional badge. Applies in the whole UK. Pays for damage to your home or belongings, or injury to you or your visitors, caused by the firm's work.

The rule: We found no law that requires it.

Employers' liability insurance

Optional badge. Applies in the whole UK. By law, most employers must have this. A firm with no employees, such as someone working alone, doesn't need it. It pays if one of the firm's workers is injured or made ill by the job.

The rule: The law itself requires it of most employers: Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 (Great Britain) and the equivalent law in Northern Ireland enforced by HSENI, with cover of at least £5 million. Exempt: family businesses that are not limited companies and employ only close relatives, and companies whose only employee owns 50% or more of the shares.

Sources: hse.gov.uk · gov.uk · hseni.gov.uk · nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Professional indemnity insurance

Optional badge. Applies in the whole UK. Pays to put things right if a professional's advice, drawings or calculations are wrong and cost you money.

The rule: For architects, ARB expects at least £250,000 of cover for each and every claim (ARB guidance, June 2025); professional bodies may set their own minimums for their members.

Sources: arb.org.uk