How to verify your tradesperson’s credentials in Northern Ireland

Why “day of hire” matters

Public liability insurance can lapse, be cancelled, or be refused renewal at any time. Trade registrations (Gas Safe, NICEIC and so on) can be revoked for a string of reasons — failure to renew, a complaint upheld against the registered tradesperson, failure of an annual assessment. The platform that verified them six months ago has no way of knowing about any of this in real time.

Five minutes spent re-checking on the day of hire is the cheapest insurance you’ll buy on the project. Here’s how to do it for each type of work.

Public liability insurance — for any tradesperson

Every tradesperson coming onto your property should have current public liability insurance covering at least £1,000,000. This is the cover that pays out if they accidentally damage your property, your neighbour’s, or cause an injury.

• Ask for a current insurance schedule (not a quote, not last year’s certificate). It will list the insurer, the policy number, the cover amount, and the cover dates.
• Check the policy is in force on today’s date — and on the date the work is due to start, if that’s further out.
• Check the policyholder name matches the trading name they’re working under.
• For larger jobs, verify directly with the named insurer (a quick phone call) that the policy is in force and not in arrears.

Gas work — Gas Safe Register

By law, anyone working on gas appliances in NI must be on the Gas Safe Register. Verification is free and takes 30 seconds.

• Go to the Gas Safe Register website at gassaferegister.co.uk.
• Enter the engineer’s registration number — it should be on their ID card and any quote or invoice.
• The site will show you the engineer’s name, business, registration status (active or suspended) and the gas work types they’re qualified for.
• When the engineer arrives, they should be carrying a Gas Safe ID card with their photo. Ask to see it. The card lists the categories of work they’re registered for — make sure your job is listed.
• After any new gas installation or replacement, you should receive a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate within 30 days. Keep it forever; you’ll need it when you sell.

Electrical work — NICEIC, NAPIT or ECA

Anyone carrying out notifiable electrical work (most jobs in kitchens, bathrooms, gardens, or new circuits anywhere) should be a member of a Competent Person Scheme — usually NICEIC, NAPIT or, for businesses, ECA. They can then self-certify the work to Building Control instead of you needing a separate Building Regulations application.

• For NICEIC: search at niceic.com using the contractor’s name, postcode or registration number. Confirm membership and that the scope covers your work (Approved Contractor / Domestic Installer).
• For NAPIT: search at napit.org.uk using the postcode or registration number.
• For ECA: search at eca.co.uk.
• Ask for the Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) for any new installation or major modification. For minor works, ask for a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate (MEIWC). Both are required by Part P / NI equivalent and by your home insurer.
• Keep the certificate; conveyancers will ask for it when you sell.

Oil heating — OFTEC

A large share of NI homes still run on oil. OFTEC-registered technicians can self-certify oil installation and servicing.

• Search for the technician at oftec.org using their name, postcode or registration number.
• Confirm registration is current and the categories cover your work (boiler installation, tank installation, commissioning, servicing).
• For new oil installations, ask for the OFTEC CD/10 or CD/11 commissioning certificate.

Solid fuel — HETAS

Stoves, log burners and biomass appliances should be installed by HETAS-registered installers, who can self-certify the install and any flue work.

• Find the installer at hetas.co.uk using their name or postcode.
• Confirm registration is current and includes solid-fuel installation.
• Make sure they leave you a HETAS commissioning certificate. Without it your home insurance may not cover any subsequent fire involving the appliance.

Windows and external doors — FENSA or Certass

Replacement windows and external doors are notifiable to Building Control. The simplest route is to use a FENSA- or Certass-registered installer who self-certifies the work.

• For FENSA: search at fensa.org.uk by company name or postcode.
• For Certass: search at certass.co.uk by company name or postcode.
• You should receive a FENSA or Certass certificate within ~30 days of completion. Keep it — your conveyancer will ask for it.
• If your installer is not a member of a Competent Person Scheme, the work needs a separate Building Regulations application and a council-issued completion certificate. Without either, the work is technically unauthorised.

Ground work, drainage, structural — check qualifications and references

For trades that don’t have a single national register (general builders, groundworkers, plasterers, joiners, tilers and so on), the verification is more about competence than registration:

• Ask for proof of any trade qualifications they claim — NVQ, City & Guilds, BPEC, etc.
• Ask for CSCS card details if you’re asked to grant access to a building site (the Construction Skills Certification Scheme verifies basic safety training). Check the card on cscs.uk.com.
• Ask for at least two recent references — addresses and contact numbers — and phone them. Ask whether the work matched the quote, whether the timescale slipped, and how the relationship was at the end.
• For structural alterations, the design should be signed off by a chartered structural engineer (search at istructe.org for The Institution of Structural Engineers register).

Putting it all together — a 60-second pre-hire check

Before any deposit changes hands:

• Insurance certificate — read the dates, confirm at least £1m cover.
• Statutory registration (Gas Safe / NICEIC / NAPIT / OFTEC / HETAS / FENSA / Certass) — search the relevant register on your phone, in front of the tradesperson if possible.
• Companies House — confirm the trading entity exists and is in good standing.
• Two references — a quick phone call each.
• Written quote with full scope, fixed price, payment schedule, start and finish dates.

Five minutes. The good tradespeople will be glad you checked — it shows you take the job seriously and they want their certifications seen.

How NI Trades fits in

We do all of these checks at application stage when a tradesperson joins NI Trades — identity, public liability insurance, claimed registrations against the relevant public register, two references contacted by phone or email. That gets the worst applicants out of the system before they ever appear to a homeowner. But the public registers are the source of truth, and they update faster than any private platform can. We’re open about that throughout the platform — every “Verified” badge is dated to the application check, and every customer is reminded to re-check on the day of hire. This is exactly why.