Windows, doors and glazing
Is FENSA the only way a replacement window in England can satisfy building regulations?
No. GOV.UK describes competent-person schemes as one way an installer self-certifies certain work, and a building-regulations application as another. FENSA is an example of a scheme, not the only name on a certificate. A home survey does not collect either paper, and missing paper is not the same thing as a rotten frame.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Membership of a scheme is voluntary for the installer. The customer still needs the work to meet the regulations. The certificate, where one exists, is evidence of that route. It is not a condition rating, and it does not say the cill still throws water outwards ten years later. Ask your solicitor which route this installation used, and for which openings.
Wales uses building regulations too, but do not assume an English scheme certificate is what a Welsh council filed. Scotland uses building standards, not this English scheme language. The survey you are reading describes the glass and the frames it could see. It does not issue approval.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which openings were replaced, and which certificate or approval, if any, names them?
- Did you see rot, misting or a gap, or only that the windows look newer than the house?
- Is the paperwork a solicitor’s question rather than a second visit from you?
What are the typical next steps?
- Ask the solicitor for the competent-person certificate or the building-regulations approval. Do not guess the brand.
- Use the survey for condition: which frames leak, stick or have failed seals.
- Do not replace every window because one certificate is missing. Price the openings that have actually failed.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does a FENSA certificate mean the lintel was checked?
No. It is about the installation route for the window work. It is not a structural calculation for the wall above.
Can the surveyor sign a competent-person certificate?
No. That certificate comes from the installer or from building control. The survey describes condition.