No FENSA

tristanjourney

Hi all,

I am currently buying my first house.

The local authority search revealed that there is 1 door installed by a competent person. The seller provided me a FENSA for that 1 door.

However, in the Property Information Form, the seller answered YES to this question: Installation of replacement windows, roof windows, roof lights, glazed doors since 1 April 2002.

The seller also explained that As part of general maintenance: Kitchen doors and front door changed, extension window changed to bay window, bathroom window changed for new bathroom window.

So it looks like the seller has replaced multiple windows and doors but only have a FENSA for 1 door. I confirmed this from https://www.fensa.org.uk/fensa-certificate and the property I am buying indeed only has a FENSA for 1 door.

The surveyor didn't find any concerns regarding the conditions of doors and windows. The surveyor emphasised that there is no way to view lintel support to the majority of windows and doors openings but there is no evidence suggest that any lintel support requires upgrading.

Regarding the missing FENSA for other windows and doors, will this be a problem?

What's the best actions I should take?

I feel it is unlikely the seller will contact local council to sign off those windows/doors works. At the same time, I am also wondering maybe the installer who installed other windows and doors is a FENSA registered installer but forget to report back to FENSA?

Thank you in advance for all your helps.

bluewater

I'm in the same situation. All windows were replaced 3 year's ago apparently by a local builder. They look fine to me - excellent in fact, so I'm not concerned.
My solicitor says he could ask the seller's solicitor to provide an indemnity policy so yours could do this.

da_rule

When were the extra windows and doors installed? If it was as far back as 2002 then you may need to take a pragmatic approach as, in reality, a 16 year old FENSA certificate would be pretty much useless anyway.

lincroft1710

An indemnity policy would be pointless! It would only protect you if the council order you to replace the windows or lintels, it will not help you if the window fails because of lack of an adequate lintel.

Councils do not patrol the streets checking if people have installed new windows and then demanding to see their FENSA certificate

G_M

FENSA is not the only company installing windows under the 'Competant person' scheme.


Also depends if the 'replacement' windows/doors etc were like-for-like which don't require Building Regs sign off.

Doozergirl

G_M wrote: »

FENSA is not the only company installing windows under the 'Competant person' scheme.


Also depends if the 'replacement' windows/doors etc were like-for-like which don't require Building Regs sign off.

Yes to your first comment - CERTASS or a direct application to Building Control are other options.

The second comment isn't quite right, but I know where you are coming from. All new glass needs to comply with Building Regulations, so there should be a certificate from one of the three options.

What you don't need to do is meet current regs for fire egress, window size, heights etc. You just can't make it any worse than it already is.

I don't know what the mark is on a window as we always have building control look at it, but compliance can be gathered just from the etched mark on the glass.

tristanjourney

Thanks for pointing out there are more than one schemes who can certify windows/door works.

My understanding is that if those works aren't revealed in the local authority search, it is likely they were not done by a contractor who registered with a competent person scheme. As far as I know, the contractor should notify the scheme after the work and then the scheme should notify local council about the new work and also issue compliance certificate. No matter which scheme the contractor is registered with, their works should be listed in local authority search if they are in a scheme.

In my case, the local authority search only reveals 1 door, nothing else. But the vender said there were multiple windows and doors being changed.

Personally I am okay even there are no compliance certificate given that my surveyor hasn't found anything require upgrading.

After reading all your advices, I have two more questions:
1) What's the consequence of inappropriate lintel support for windows and doors?
2) How easy is it to let local building control to sign off windows/door works? And it is necessary?

Thanks!

Doozergirl

1) movement
2) For me it's probably the least important of things that need signing off. It's important to have toughened glass in doors though. No one wants to put their hand through a glass door.