FENSA Registered and Non Registeed Double Glzing Companies

FP125

Got a few quotes for double glazing.

The cheapest is by a local company who is non FENSA registered.

I have read up and know there is a possibility of problems when you come to sell your house as you will not have been issued with a FENSA certificate, but do know you can pay for the loal council to come out and check that it meets Building Regulations or set up some Indemnity Insurance with your sols when you come to sell.

However, my question relates to the guarantee. If this local business went under, if he is not FENSA registered, any guarantee is worthless. Thats correct is'nt it? A lot of companies (even this cheap local one) offer 5 and 10yr guarantee's on thir windows and frames, but if they went under, could you only claim if they were Fenda registered?

Would you stay away from non FENSA registered companies and pay the £500 extra for a FENSA registered one? Is the extra worth it?

muskoka

I'd be playing safe & go with windows from a Company who give you an insurance backed guarantee

wallbash

Is the extra worth it?

Not £500 .

thebaldwindowfitter

you must ask yourself why this local company wouldnt want to be vetted by fensa on their work and wether they have all the relevent insurances .We are fensa registered and 1 in every hundred jobs are inspected and also one site visit during an installation .A full warranty on approx 5k worth of work costs around £35 which comes into force if your installer goes bust. Their could be many other reasons why your local guy is cheaper is he vat registered , fitting the same quality window,fully insured .

eamon

Your local council building reg dept will for a fee (approx £110) send out an inspector with a meter and appropriate knowledge. He/she will check that all glazing to be inspected meets current building regs. A certificate will then be sent to you. Keep this in a safe place and supply if and when you sell the property. No need for any indemnity insurance rubbish.

The profile manufacturers offer warranties on their products as do the friction stay makers and the glass makers ditto the window handles and gear boxes.

All the consumer watchdogs and this site suggest getting recomendations from friends, neighbours, relatives and staying with local companies as they are least likely to s**t on their own doorstep. Don't know where you live so a big national player may be local to you!

ormus

is the fensa warranty anything like the NHBC warranty?

iamcornholio

a6windows wrote: »

you must ask yourself why this local company wouldnt want to be vetted by fensa .

LOL. Vetted and FENSA in the same sentence? :rotfl:

FENSA offer little guarantee of quality work or reliability of the company, and are basically an associated set up for the purpose of ensuring windows have the right type of glass.

Also be aware that FENSA membership covers very little and is confined to the actual frames and glass. If the installer does other work such as new lintels (or forgets new lintels) or adapts walls for new windows, then that part of the work is nothing to do with FENSA

Find a good local installer and if he is not a FENSA member then just pay the £80 fee to the council and get them to check the windows instead

FP125

So FENSA does not make a difference to a guarantee a company offers? Who do you go to if the UVPC discoulours, etc?

I had Safe Style (dont mention) and Malbern Windows out.

Had 2 local-ish companies out who quoted in the region of £3300 for the whole house (2 doors & 7 windows)

One man band / ad in the local paper guys says he will beat any genuin quote. His price is approx £2800. He states he uses Regency Glass which the others use as well.

Now £500 is a lot of money, but now when you are spending thousands. The other 2 companies have websites and are FENSA registered and also said we can visit their factory at any time to take a look.

But on the other hand a £500 saving would be nice, but don't want to regret it if the work is a botch job.

tarren

One man band / ad in the local paper guys says he will beat any genuin quote. His price is approx £2800. He states he uses Regency Glass which the others use as well.

Request to view works carried out at least 3 previous customer from a list of at least a dozen, bit of hastle for him but might save you a lot of heartache.

thebaldwindowfitter

iamcornholio wrote: »

LOL. Vetted and FENSA in the same sentence? :rotfl:

FENSA offer little guarantee of quality work or reliability of the company, and are basically an associated set up for the purpose of ensuring windows have the right type of glass.

Also be aware that FENSA membership covers very little and is confined to the actual frames and glass. If the installer does other work such as new lintels (or forgets new lintels) or adapts walls for new windows, then that part of the work is nothing to do with FENSA

Find a good local installer and if he is not a FENSA member then just pay the £80 fee to the council and get them to check the windows instead

Yes we are vetted and this allows registered companies to self certify fensa can an will check instaltion problems ie if bays have moved and if lintols have been fitted .And are you saying that fensa doesnt have anything to do with making sure that adequate ventilation is fitted ,fire egress, toughened glass, load bearing bay and bow windows and fixing of the windows .The council inspectors cant even get their own installations fitted correctly .

iamcornholio

a6windows wrote: »

.... are you saying that fensa doesnt have anything to do with making sure that adequate ventilation is fitted ,fire egress, toughened glass, load bearing bay and bow windows and fixing of the windows.

What I am saying is, and what the majority of the public are not aware of, nor does FENSA actually make very clear to the public, is that FENSA is a self certification scheme for companies to say that the replacement windows/doors they install comply to documents L1 and N of the building regulations only - ie thermal qualities and safety from glass breaking. That's it

Yes there is also an implied duty to ensure that other associated parts of the b/regs are not compromised such as A (Structure), B (Escape in case of Fire), F (Ventilation), M (Access and facilities for the disabled) K (Protection from falling collision impact) and J (Combustion appliances) but this work is outside of the remit of FENSA, and FENSA will not get involved with checking this work or disputes arising from anything other than the actual window or door. In fact IIRC, FENSA even state that non FENSA work should be invoiced separately

And FENSA does not apply to conservatory or porch frames, or anything not otherwise part of the b/regs, and yet installers promote FENSA membership prominently for this type of work to prospective customers

So, for instance, a FENSA member can knock an opening into a wall for say a new door, but if he fails to install a lintel, or a DPC, or close the reveals, or if the opening actually creates an unstable wall, then that is nothing to do with FENSA and they wont get involved. But they will check the frame and glass.

I am not saying that FENSA is bad, but the public are not made fully aware of just what FENSA is meant to be, and it's only when there is a problem that this becomes clear.