How installers are checked
Template — this copy must be reviewed and approved before production launch.
The four checks every installer passes before we introduce anyone to them, what each one establishes, and — just as important — what none of them can tell you.
Four checks, every time
These are not discretionary and they do not vary with the size of the job. An installer passes all four before a single enquiry reaches them.
1. Identity. We confirm the legal business name, company number and registered address, and check the entry on the Companies House register. This establishes that the business exists, is the one it says it is, and can be held to a contract.
2. F-gas certification. Handling refrigerant is legally restricted, and the business — not only the engineer who turns up — must hold a valid F-gas company certificate. We take the certificate reference, confirm it is current, and check the categories it covers are the ones the work needs.
3. Insurance. We confirm cover is in place and in date. An uninsured installer working on your property transfers a risk to you that you did not agree to carry.
4. Service area. We confirm the postcodes an installer genuinely works in, so that an enquiry is not sent to a business that would be travelling further than it wants to. A reluctant match produces a slow survey and a padded quote.
What these checks cannot tell you
Every one of the four is a documents check. It establishes that a business is real, legally permitted to handle refrigerant, insured, and willing to work in your area. It says nothing about the quality of the last installation they finished.
We do not inspect completed work, audit workmanship, or verify customer reviews. Certification means an installer is allowed to do the job, not that they will do it well. A current F-gas certificate and a poorly sited condenser can coexist comfortably.
So satisfy yourself before you sign anything. Ask for the completed heat-load calculation and, where permitted development is being relied on, the MCS 020(a) sound calculation for your actual property. Ask to see recent work. Our guide on choosing an installer sets out the questions worth asking.
Ongoing status, and what happens when something goes wrong
Certificates and insurance expire. Where an installer's evidence lapses and is not replaced, they stop receiving enquiries until it is.
If you have a concern about an installer we introduced you to, tell us at privacy@airva.co.uk with your enquiry reference. We record complaints against the installer, and a pattern of them ends the relationship. Complaints about the installation work itself should also go directly to the installer, who holds the contract with you.