FENSA Certificate Check: How to Verify Window and Door Certification Online
2 November 2026
If you need to check a FENSA certificate, use FENSA’s online search and enter the property postcode and house number or name. If you already have the certificate ID, you can search with that instead. A replacement certificate currently costs £30 including VAT, and FENSA says it is delivered within 15 working days after payment.
A missing FENSA result does not automatically mean the window work was unauthorised. It may have been certified through another scheme, signed off by Building Control, registered under a different address, or outside FENSA’s scope. If you are selling, check the paperwork route with your conveyancer before taking further action.
How do you check a FENSA certificate online?
Use FENSA’s official certificate search to find a record linked to the property. The address search asks for a postcode and house number or name. If you know the certificate ID, the form also allows a direct search by certificate number.
Open the official FENSA certificate search. Use the FENSA certificate lookup and order page.
Search by property address. Enter the postcode and house number or name as requested. If the home is a flat, check whether the flat number or building name needs to be included.
Try the certificate ID if you have it. This can help locate the right record when an address has changed or is formatted differently.
Check the installation details. Confirm that the record appears to relate to the correct property and window or door work before ordering a duplicate.
Order a replacement if needed. FENSA lists the current replacement fee as £30 including VAT. Its guidance says delivery can take up to 15 working days after payment.
Searching the certificate database is different from checking whether an installer is currently listed as approved. The certificate search looks for a record of completed work at a property. An installer search helps check a business’s scheme status. For an older installation, the property’s certificate record is the more relevant evidence.
What information does a FENSA certificate provide?
A FENSA certificate is commonly used as evidence that a qualifying replacement window or door installation was notified through the FENSA scheme and covered by its building-regulations compliance process. The certificate is linked to the property, so a later owner can usually request a copy if the record exists.
It is not a general survey of the whole property, and it does not replace an inspection of the windows’ present condition. Keep any separate product warranty, installer guarantee, invoice and maintenance records with it. Those documents answer different questions: the certificate is compliance evidence, while a warranty or guarantee sets out what may be covered if a product or installation problem arises.
What should you do if the FENSA search finds no certificate?
First, check for simple search mismatches. Try the postcode with and without a space, use the house name as well as the number if applicable, and check the flat or building details. If you have a certificate number on an old document, search with that too.
If there is still no result, work through these possibilities:
The work was registered with another scheme. Ask the previous owner, installer or conveyancer whether the certificate is from Certass or another authorised competent person scheme.
Building Control handled the work. If the installer used a local authority or approved building inspector route, look for the relevant completion certificate or contact the person who arranged the inspection.
The work may not fall within FENSA’s scope. FENSA’s scheme is for qualifying replacement installations. A repair, conservatory, extension, new opening or other wider building project may have a different approval route.
The installer may not have notified the work. If the installer is still trading, ask them to confirm in writing which scheme applied and whether the installation was registered.
A blank result is a reason to investigate, not proof by itself that the work was unlawful or unsafe. It may simply mean the record sits with another scheme or the local authority.
FENSA, Certass and Building Control: what is the difference?
FENSA and Certass are separate competent person schemes used for qualifying replacement glazing work. A certificate from the scheme that handled the job may provide the relevant building-regulations evidence. There are also other authorised schemes, so a homeowner does not necessarily need a FENSA-branded document for every installation.
Building Control is another route. Where the installer did not self-certify through a competent person scheme, the work may have been dealt with through a building regulations application and inspection. In that case, the useful record may be a completion certificate or another document from the building control body, rather than a FENSA certificate.
FENSA’s scheme applies to qualifying work in existing homes in England and Wales. Building standards and approval processes differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland, so check the route that applied where the property is located. Do not assume a FENSA search is a complete check of every UK glazing approval record.
How do you order a replacement FENSA certificate?
If the online search finds the correct installation, follow the order steps on FENSA’s page. The current fee shown is £30 including VAT. FENSA states that the replacement is delivered within 15 working days after payment. Allow for that time if you are working to a sale or remortgage deadline, and tell your conveyancer as soon as you have placed the order.
If the search does not find the record, avoid paying for a duplicate until you have confirmed that a FENSA certificate should exist. Contact the original installer if possible and ask for the scheme name, completion date and any certificate or notification reference. If the company has closed, check the alternative certification and Building Control routes with your conveyancer.
Practical timing tip: If a buyer’s solicitor has set a deadline, send them the search result or order confirmation promptly and ask whether they can accept it temporarily while the replacement is being delivered. Whether that is sufficient is for the conveyancers involved to decide.
Do you need a FENSA certificate to sell your home?
A FENSA certificate is often requested during a sale when replacement windows or doors were installed, but it is not the only possible evidence of compliance. A certificate from another authorised scheme or a Building Control completion record may be relevant instead.
If no paperwork can be found, tell your conveyancer what you know about the work and when it was carried out. They can explain the available options for that transaction. Depending on the circumstances, these may include locating other records, asking about retrospective approval, or considering an indemnity policy. These options are not interchangeable: indemnity insurance does not inspect the windows or confirm that the installation meets current standards.
Before contacting a council about historic work during a sale, ask your conveyancer for advice. Contacting an authority can affect whether certain indemnity insurance options remain available. The right next step depends on the property, the work and the buyer’s requirements.
How can you check whether the certificate matches the property?
Compare the address and installation details on the certificate with the property and the work you can see. If a certificate names an earlier owner, that alone does not necessarily make it irrelevant: FENSA records are associated with the home. If the address, date or installation description appears wrong, ask the installer who registered the work to correct the details.
Keep the certificate alongside other records a buyer or future owner may ask about. InstantCost’s guides to EICR electrical safety reports and checking a Gas Safe engineer explain two separate checks that may be useful when organising home documents. For an EPC-related property improvement route, see the InstantCost Warm Homes Plan guide.
Common FENSA certificate check mistakes
Searching only one version of the address. House names, flat numbers and changed postcodes can affect a search. Try the address details used when the work was registered.
Confusing an installer listing with a property certificate. A company’s scheme membership does not by itself prove that a specific installation was notified.
Assuming a missing FENSA result means no approval exists. The installation could be recorded through another scheme or Building Control.
Using an old replacement-fee figure. Some online guides still show £25. FENSA currently lists £30 including VAT, so check the order page before paying.
Leaving the search until the sale is nearly complete. A replacement can take up to 15 working days, so start early if you are preparing a transaction.
Treating a certificate as a condition report. Compliance paperwork does not tell you whether the windows are currently damaged, poorly sealed or in need of repair.
Safety when checking window and door paperwork
Checking a certificate online does not require you to inspect glazing or climb to a window. Do not lean out of an upstairs window or use an unstable ladder to look for labels or installation details. If a window is cracked, loose or difficult to open, keep people away from it and arrange an assessment by a suitable glazing professional.
For replacement work, confirm the installer’s relevant scheme membership and the paperwork they will provide before accepting the quote. Ask for the certificate route, any product warranty, the scope of work and the arrangements for making good to be written down. If the work includes structural changes or a new opening, ask who is responsible for the applicable building control process.
Frequently asked questions
How can I check a FENSA certificate online?
Use FENSA’s certificate search and enter the postcode and house number or name. If you know the certificate ID, try that instead. Check that the record relates to the right property before ordering a replacement.
How much does a replacement FENSA certificate cost?
FENSA currently lists a replacement certificate at £30 including VAT. Check the official order page before paying because fees can change.
How long does a replacement FENSA certificate take?
FENSA says a replacement certificate is delivered within 15 working days after payment. If you have a conveyancing deadline, order early and tell your conveyancer that the replacement is on its way.
What does it mean if my property is not on the FENSA register?
The work may have been registered with another scheme, handled through Building Control, entered under different address details, or outside FENSA’s scope. Check those routes before concluding that no compliance record exists.
Can I sell a house without a FENSA certificate?
A missing FENSA certificate does not automatically prevent a sale. A buyer’s conveyancer may ask for alternative evidence or discuss other options with the parties. Ask your own conveyancer what is suitable for the property and transaction.
Is a FENSA certificate the same as a window warranty?
No. A FENSA certificate is commonly used as evidence related to building-regulations compliance for qualifying work. A product warranty or installer guarantee has its own terms and should be kept separately.
Does FENSA cover all window and door work in the UK?
No. FENSA covers qualifying replacement installations within its scheme scope, principally in existing homes in England and Wales. Repairs, wider building projects and work in other UK nations may follow different routes.
Check the record before you order
Search by postcode and house number or name, then use the certificate ID if you have it. If no result appears, check address variations, ask which scheme handled the work and look for Building Control records before deciding what to do next.
Need to check or replace a certificate?
Search the official FENSA record and confirm the current replacement fee and delivery details before ordering.