Accreditation & insurance
Guides on accreditation & insurance for UK trades — how to win the work, price it properly, and get paid on time.
Guides in this section
Approved Code vs TrustMark vs Checkatrade
Three different things that trades routinely confuse. Here is what each one does, what it costs you in effort, and which one is worth holding first.
How to Become NICEIC or NAPIT Registered
What electrical registration requires: qualifications, a qualified supervisor, calibrated test equipment, and an assessment of your work and paperwork.
How to Get MCS Certified
MCS certification is what lets your customers claim export payments and grants. Here is what certification requires and why it gates most renewables work.
How to Join Buy with Confidence
Buy with Confidence is run through Trading Standards. Here is what the vetting covers, how to apply locally, and why it carries weight with consumers.
How to Join FENSA or CERTASS
Both schemes let window installers self-certify against the Building Regulations. Here is what registration requires and how the two compare in practice.
How to Join the Gas Safe Register
Gas Safe registration is a legal requirement for gas work. Here is the ACS qualification route, how work categories operate, and what registration involves.
How to Join TrustMark
TrustMark is government-endorsed and you join through a scheme provider rather than directly. Here is the route in, what is assessed, and why trades join.
Insurance-Backed Guarantees for Your Work
An insurance-backed guarantee survives even if your business does not. Here is why customers increasingly ask for one, and how offering it wins you work.
Is Mandatory Licensing Coming for Home Improvement?
Citizens Advice and the FMB are both calling for it. What is being asked for, what it would mean, and why being early matters more than being right.
Is Trade Accreditation Worth It?
What accreditation actually gets you as a trade, what it costs, and the cases where it does not pay for itself. An honest look before you commit to fees.
What Insurance Do You Need as a Trade?
Employers' liability is a legal requirement if you have staff. Public liability is not, but working without it is a serious risk. Here is what covers what.
What Is a Competent Person Scheme?
Competent person schemes let registered trades self-certify their own work under the Building Regulations, instead of the customer notifying building control.
What Is a Consumer Code?
Consumer codes are approved through Trading Standards and audited. Here is what one commits you to, and what it gets you that a directory does not.