HETAS, the UK body operating the competent person’s scheme for installers of wood and solid fuel burning appliances, is fired up about unregistered installers.
'We are working with building inspectors and trading standards all over England and Wales to weed out those solid fuel installers who believe that they can get away with not being registered and not properly notifying their work' said Bruce Allen, the general manager of HETAS (Heating Equipment Testing and Approval Scheme).

The building regulations state there are only two routes for customers who wish to have a solid fuel appliance installed. They can either to use an engineer registered under a solid fuel competent person's scheme or can seek a building notice from their local authority building control department.

Many local authorities charge up to £300 for inspecting and granting approval.

HETAS insists that its registered installers do not certificate the work of other non-registered installers as they have not been present at all stages of the installation and cannot know, for instance, how chimney lining was undertaken.

HETAS says only one route, the competent person scheme registered engineer route, is easy, cost effective and ensures a trained competent installer carries out the work and guarantees a certificate of compliance at the end of the process.

'HIPs packs and solicitor's inquiries when selling houses, require the inclusion of a certificate for any solid fuel appliances installed' said Allen.

'I know of one local authority, which I will not name, that when asked to provide a retrospective certificate for a solid fuel installation not undertaken by a competent person scheme registrant, will not retrospectively approve the work.

This leaves customers in a state of non-compliance and no way to get the work regularised apart from getting it re-installed and properly certificated at their own cost.

For details on competent person courses for solid fuel and HETAS registration contact HETAS at info@hetas.co.uk.