Checklist
Plumbing and heating contractor compliance checklist
Gas Safe, CIPHE, insurance, RAMS and everything else a plumbing and heating contractor needs to be compliant.
By Complys·26 Mar 2026·6 min read
Plumbing and heating contractors carry out legally regulated work — particularly anything involving gas. The compliance requirements are significant, and working without the right registrations carries serious legal and financial risk.
Statutory registrations
- Gas Safe Register — legally required to carry out any gas work in the UK. Every engineer carrying out gas work must be individually registered and listed on the Gas Safe Register under your business. Registrations are annual and engineer-specific.
- OFTEC registration — required for oil heating work. Engineers working on oil-fired boilers and burners must hold OFTEC certification.
- HETAS registration — required for solid fuel and biomass heating installations.
- Water Regulations approval — for work on the mains water supply, you must be approved under the Water Industry Act 1991 or notify the water undertaker.
Competent person scheme
- CIPHE — Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering. Membership demonstrates professional competence.
- APHC — Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors. Widely recognised by clients and insurers.
- WaterSafe — government-approved competent person scheme for plumbing work, allowing self-certification under Water Regulations.
Insurance
- Public liability insurance — minimum £2 million, most commercial clients require £5 million
- Employers' liability insurance — minimum £5 million if you employ anyone
- Professional indemnity insurance — for design and specification work
- Tools and equipment insurance
Accreditation
- CHAS or SMAS — required by most commercial clients. Complys helps you maintain the documents needed to obtain and renew these.
- Constructionline — for public sector and housing association contracts
Operative qualifications and cards
- Gas Safe registration card — for every engineer carrying out gas work. Check categories on each card match the work being done.
- ACS qualifications — Accredited Certification Scheme gas qualifications underpinning Gas Safe registration
- NVQ Level 2/3 in Plumbing and Heating — standard trade qualification
- CSCS card — for site access on commercial projects
- Legionella awareness training — for any work on water systems in commercial or public buildings
- Asbestos awareness training — older buildings frequently have asbestos lagging on pipes
- First aid at work certificate
Health and safety documents
- Written health and safety policy
- Site-specific RAMS
- Hot works permit (for brazing and soldering)
- Confined spaces procedure (for work in plant rooms and service voids)
- Legionella risk assessment records for commercial water systems
- Toolbox talk records
- Accident and near miss records
Compliance checklist summary
- ✓ Gas Safe registration — business and all gas engineers individually listed
- ✓ OFTEC registration where applicable
- ✓ WaterSafe or equivalent competent person scheme registration
- ✓ Public liability insurance (min £5m for commercial work)
- ✓ Employers' liability insurance (min £5m)
- ✓ CHAS or SMAS accreditation
- ✓ Gas Safe cards for all gas engineers (correct categories)
- ✓ CSCS cards for commercial site work
- ✓ Legionella awareness training records
- ✓ Asbestos awareness training records
- ✓ First aid certificate on site
- ✓ Site-specific RAMS
- ✓ Right to work evidence for all employees
Keep your plumbing compliance in order with Complys
Store your Gas Safe registration, insurance, operative cards and RAMS in one place. Automatic alerts before anything expires.