Gas Safe Register | How To Check If An Engineer Is Certified
When it comes to heating, all engineers should be certified by the Gas Safe Register but shockingly there are over 1 million gas jobs illegally carried out every year. So how can you find a trusted trader, someone local as well as professional? Read on this week as we explain how to check if an engineer is certified.
What is the Gas Safe Register?
In 2009, Gas Safe Register replaced CORGI as Britain’s official gas registration body. This means that all gas engineers must be certified by law with the main purpose to protect the public from unsafe gas work. Gas Safe registered technicians also have ID cards which detail the types of repairs they are licensed to do. This ensures peace of mind for homeowners with boiler installations, gas checks and repairs. To be able to become officially registered, engineers must hold one of the accredited trade qualifications. These include ACS, NVQ, SVQ and Scotland’s QCF.
How to Check the Gas Safe Register
To help you find a gas engineer, who’s credible and in your area, the Find an Engineer service makes things easy by simply typing in your postcode. Next, input your appliance type to browse engineers and their qualifications. Alternatively, if you don’t have a PC, you can call the freephone helpline on 0800 408 5500. Once you have found a gas engineer, consumers can even double-check that they are registered. Simply text ‘Gas’ and their business registration number to 85080. For those that live by themselves or are vulnerable, there’s an additional option to the Gas Safe Register. A photo of the engineer can even be sent to your phone so you know exactly who’s going to turn up.
How to Check if an Engineer is Qualified for the Job
All engineers have a Gas Safe ID card which you’re allowed to see when they arrive at your home. The card will also have their photo and the expiry date as well as a list of jobs they are qualified to complete.
How to Check if their Gas Safe ID Card is Real
As we have just explained it’s the homeowners right to ask to see an engineers ID card and if they hesitate, unfortunately, it’s not good news – perhaps they have something to hide? The front of a Gas Safe card provides information that establishes an engineers validity. This is things like their name, company name and also their Gas Safe registration and license numbers. It will also have a date of issue and expiration, as well as a hologram and QR code. On the back of the card, you will also see the type of work they are certified for i.e. domestic or non-domestic skills, gas fuel type and expiration dates for their qualifications.
How to Spot a Rogue Trader
If you’ve used the Gas Safe Register to find an engineer, then it’s likely that they are legit, however, cowboys are clever and you can’t be too careful so here are some obvious traits to look out for. If you’re suspicious of a rogue, some warning signs are using too much technical jargon. They also usually demand cash upfront and charge more than they initially quoted. Some unqualified traders even have the cheek to use the Gas Safe logo but remember you can suss them out using the Gas Safe Register and searching on their license number (that’s if they have one).
Book a Gas Safe Registered Engineer
Thank you for reading this week’s post; How To Check If An Engineer is Certified. Remember, even if friends or family recommend a gas fitter they still need to be gas safety competent. At Direct Heating, however, we can safely say that we are a team of Gas Safe technicians and we’re here to help with all your gas needs; please find us on the Gas Safe directory. Thank you for reading.