NFRC COMPETENT person scheme

WHY USE A NFRC COMPETENT PERSON SCHEME REGISTERED CONTRACTOR?

When it comes to refurbishing your roof, you want to be sure that the contractor carrying out the work will not only do a good job but also that your legal obligations are met. By using an NFRC Competent Person Scheme (CPS) Registered Contractor, you can rest assured that they are continuously audited against a robust set of criteria including, a financial check, office audit, and site inspection prior to being recognised as an NFRC CPS contractor.

What requirements do NFRC CPS contractors have to achieve?

Before a contractor becomes a registered NFRC CPS contractor, they must fulfil the following requirements:

Pass a probity check to ensure the company is financially viable.
Provide evidence to ensure that all relevant documentation is in place to issue you with a ten-year workmanship guarantee, a sales contract with a 14-day cooling-off period, and have the required insurance cover in place.
Successfully complete and pass an office audit to provide evidence of a robust and established business.
Successfully complete and pass a rigorous site inspection, ensuring they comply with the relevant British Standards, Health & Safety requirements, and Building Regulations.

All NFRC CPS registered contractors are audited annually and undertake regular site inspections throughout the year based on the number of projects they undertake. This ensures that they remain compliant with all standards and regulations.

Can NFRC CPS contractors self certify work?

An NFRC CPS contractor has the unique ability to self-certify that the work they complete complies with the relevant Building Regulations in England and Wales. If you are replacing 50 per cent or more of your roof, you are legally obliged to upgrade the insulation and obtain a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate (BRCC) from your local authority building control.

Failure to comply with the Building Regulations could result in you receiving an enforcement notice from Building Control, requiring the alteration or removal of your roof at your own cost. Without a valid BRCC you may also encounter problems when it comes to selling your property.

Using a contractor with recognition via the NFRC CPS scheme means that once the work has been completed and signed off, the homeowner will receive a BRCC plus an Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG). More importantly, Building Control will automatically be notified that the works have taken place, fulfilling your legal obligation.

With every domestic notification, a ten-year IBG is included to reinforce the contractor’s workmanship guarantee. In the unlikely event that the roof fails, and the contractor ceases to trade, the IBG will come into effect. As a UKAS Accredited Body, NFRC CPS also has a robust complaints process in place to assist with any disputes that may arise.

What should I do before selecting a contractor?

Use our ‘Find a Contractor’ search function to find a NFRC CPS registered contractor in your area.

Before selecting your preferred contrator make sure their sales contract provides written confirmation that all work performed will be in accordance with the NFRC CPS scheme requirements. This includes information that:

The sales contract provides you with a 14-day cooling off period.
The sales contract confirms a 10-year workmanship guarantee.
Where 50 per cent or more of the roof is being replaced, the insulation will be upgraded with the work registered through the NFRC Competent Person Scheme so that a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate (BRCC) can be issued, together with a ten-year Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG)*

(*applies to domestic notifications only)

WHAT THE SCHEME COVERS:

Self-certification, when 50 per cent or more of the roof is being refurbished, for the following roofing categories:

Slating and Tiling and all other pitched works (including Shingles and Shakes)
Felt, Single Ply and GRP
Fully supported lead, copper, zinc and standing-seam aluminium
Liquid Applied Waterproofing
Mastic Asphalt (including Hot Melt)
Reinforced Bitumen Membranes (RBM)
Sheeting
Provision of roof lights—provided they are only inserted between rafters or on a like-for-like basis.

WHAT THE SCHEME DOESN’T COVER:

Where less than 50 per cent of the roof is being replaced, as this falls out of the scope of Approved Document L1B
Any solar or photovoltaic (PV) installation
The following areas which fall under the remit of Building Control:
- Work on trussed rafters
- Any structural glazed roof such as atriums
- New build work
- Structural work, unless like-for-like, e.g. rafters

Proud members of NFRC

Why you should choose an NFRC roofing contractor

It goes without saying that the roof over your head is one of the most important parts of your home, protecting you and your possessions from the elements. Whether you need a repair, a new roof, or are replacing an existing roof, using an NFRC member contractor to carry out the work will give you peace of mind, as well as a weatherproof roof.

For High Standards

To ensure that NFRC contractors offer the highest standards in workmanship and customer service, all member contractors are rigorously vetted before joining NFRC and every three years thereafter.

A roofing contractor must meet the following vetting criteria:

A satisfactory trading record, including financial stability
Inspections of past contracts to verify quality craft skills and technical competence
Satisfactory public, employers’ and third party insurance cover
Compliance with Health and Safety Legislation
Compliance with the NFRC Code of Practice as well as British and European Standards

For Technical Support

Free technical advice is available from NFRC to customers of NFRC member contractors. NFRC supplements this service with a comprehensive series of technical publications to support both member contractors and their customers.

What Can I Expect to Happen Whilst the NFRC Contractor is on site?

The contractor should give a guide on the time to be taken—but this may vary due to bad weather, or if extra work outside the original estimate has to be done.
The contractor will try to keep the work site clean but space for storage and a skip may be required.
Scaffolding is likely to be erected and must be out of bounds to children and any other unauthorised persons.

WHAT IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG?

If there is a defect after the work has been completed, you should follow these steps:

You contact the contractor and clearly explain what the problem is and ask them to inspect their work, and if necessary carry out remedial works.
If you don’t receive a response, contact them again in writing and clearly explain the issues, and ask them to inspect the work.
If this does not work, you can contact the Regional Manager for your area, in writing, and implement the NFRC complaints procedure.