May 2022

Contract The View Talk from Certass TA
A KEY NEW CERTIFICATION SCHEME...
Certass TA Chair Jon Vanstone discusses the brand-new certification scheme to help
installers self-certify conservatory roof work, which is one of the many areas visitors to
FIT Show will be able to find out more about at the Certass Installer Support Hub...
A
huge part of our job as a certification
provider is knowing the additional support
our members need from us to ensure
certification membership provides value to their
business.
We get this information in several ways – through
our award-winning Facebook forum, during our
Installer Protection Committee meetings, in our
annual member survey, on audit visits, and
listening when they phone us up.
The last time we questioned members on the
work they carry out outside of installing windows
and doors, we found that more than 80 percent
of members regularly build conservatories, 34
percent offer roofing services, and almost 38
percent do extension work.
“Homeowners who
made improvements
to their properties
spent the most money
on extensions, with an
average spend of £19,111”
It’s easy to see why we’re branching out. The
most recent Home Improvement Tends Report,
produced by Rated People, found that in 2021,
homeowners who made improvements to their
properties spent the most money on extensions,
with an average spend of £19,111.
Building an annex or garden room came in
second place at £17,123 and in third was a
new conservatory or orangery, with a spending
average of £15,992.
These projects were also found to increase the
value of a property the most.
Jon Vanstone
“Bringing together
two long-standing
Competent Persons
Schemes – Certass and
NAPIT – means we’re
hitting the ground
running”
The stats really got us thinking. Is there an
opportunity here for us to deliver dedicated
Competent Persons Schemes for the other work
that our members carry out?
Just like our window and door installation
scheme, it would give installers the opportunity
to self-certify work in other areas, avoiding the
lengthy and costly process of going through Local
Authority Building Control or Approved Inspectors.
They can easily register jobs online and
customers get a digital copy of their Building
Regulation Compliance Certificate.
Powered by Certass and NAPIT
Bringing together two long-standing Competent
Persons Schemes – Certass and NAPIT – means
we’re hitting the ground running.
Administered by Certass, our window and
door CPS members will already be familiar
with the systems for registering jobs and our
straightforward sign-up process.
We’re working together to duplicate the Certass
approach to low-cost, common-sense certification
and building an extensive package of benefits,
including free technical advice from our team.
In this initial launch, we’re focused on
conservatory roof certification, which is the one
queried most by members, especially with the
boom in replacement solid roofs over the last five
or so years.
Consumer leads
Members of our new scheme will also get a
free listing on certifiedcompetent.co.uk, the
dedicated advice and information website
where homeowners are searching for local,
trusted certified traders who are not only highly
recommended by customers who have had work
done by them, but also independently certified as
competent to do the job right.
Members receive homeowner leads directly
through the website and have real consumer
recommendations & ratings displayed on their
profile page.
Find out more at FIT
If you fit more than just windows and doors,
and you register conservatory roof work through
Local Authority Building Control or an Approved
Inspector, come and talk to us at FIT Show.
We’ll have all the information available about our
new scheme at the Certass Installer Support Hub
on stand D49, including the opportunity to chat
through the benefits with our technical team and
even get started on your application.
Contact Certass Trade Association:
01292 292 095
certassta.co.uk
@CertassTa
60 T I MAY 2022 PRACTICAL CONTENT FOR THE GLAZING INSTALLER & HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST