Evy Coe
There are no required qualifications for tradespeople who install bathrooms. However, it’s good to look for installers who hold NVQ or City and Guilds qualifications. These certifications guarantee the tradespeople have the knowledge and skills they need. Many bathroom installers don’t have these qualifications and are still capable of high-quality work, though. It’s usually best to look at examples of their previous work and base your decisions on this as well as qualifications.
If your bathroom needs electrical or gas work, make sure that you use certified electricians and gas engineers. There is a range of certification schemes available for these areas.
General qualifications
There are several general qualifications available for bathroom fitting. City and Guilds 6218 is a general pipework qualification. It certifies that fitters are capable of working with supply and waste pipework. There are also NVQ Levels 2 and 3 available for more advanced plumbing. There are no required certifications for plumbing. However, these courses indicate that installers have the appropriate knowledge and skills to correctly install bathroom suites.
For tiling, look for experienced tilers with City and Guilds 6710 or an NVQ Level 2 in tiling. Certified tilers will be able to lay tiles to the highest standard. In addition, using a certified tiler gives you peace of mind that they have knowledge of the correct types of adhesive and grout for specific tiles. Experienced tilers will also be able to lay tiles to a very high standard. When looking for a tiler, ask to see some examples of previous work.
Electrical work
For electrical work in the bathroom, you should make sure you use a certified electrician. There is a range of certification bodies that offer certification for electricians, such as NAPIT. Homeowners are responsible for making sure that all electrical work in their properties meets the regulations. The easiest way to do this is to use a certified electrician.
Electrical work in the bathroom is subject to extra regulations. Any additions or alterations to circuits in certain zones in the bathroom count as special locations under part P. This means that if you do not use a certified electrician to carry out this work, you will need to notify the local authority that you intend to do it. Once you’ve finished the work, the local authority will then come out to inspect it. There may be a charge for this inspection.
Gas work
If your bathroom installation involves work with gas appliances you should use a certified gas engineer. This may include appliances such as boilers or gas water heaters. These engineers must be on the Gas Safe Register. It is a legal requirement that only certified gas engineers do gas work. You should double check that any gas engineer you choose is on the Gas Safe Register.
There are various qualifications that you may need to look for in a bathroom fitter. Bear in mind that there are no legally required qualifications for plumbing or tiling. For electrical and gas work, you should be sure to use a certified tradesperson. It’s also important that your bathroom installation meets the relevant building regulations. Make sure you check examples of the installers previous work.
