Missing an Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG) on a domestic FENSA job is a breach of scheme rules. You can’t properly register the Building Regulations Compliance Certificate without one, and ultimately FENSA can suspend or expel you, and an expelled installer can’t simply re-register with another Competent Person Scheme instead. Here’s the full chain of consequences, and what to do if you’ve already missed one.
What does FENSA do about a missing IBG?
FENSA treats the Insurance Backed Guarantee as a condition of every domestic job. It has said so publicly since the rule tightened in 2014. BuildingTalk’s coverage spelled out where it ends if an installer is expelled from the FENSA scheme: “Installer is expelled from FENSA and cannot re-register with any other glazing CPS.”
The sequence runs from bad to worse:
You can’t properly register the certificate. The job doesn’t count as self-certified under Building Regulations until a valid policy sits behind it.
You’re in breach of scheme rules. FENSA can require you to put it right, suspend you, or expel you.
Finally, expulsion closes every door. The three glazing schemes operate under the same conditions — an installer is expelled from one, it can’t just move to another competent person scheme.
Lose the scheme. You lose self-certification: which means every future job will need to go through building control, inspected and paid for job by job. For a working glazing business, that’s the real penalty.
What can the homeowner do?
The rule exists for them. They have routes of their own. A homeowner who didn’t receive the protection they should have can complain to FENSA. And to Trading Standards.
There’s a consumer-law angle too. If your quote or sales documents said the job comes inclusive of an Insurance Backed Guarantee and you never provided one, that can count as a misleading omission under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. In short, a promise made in writing is a promise the law expects you to keep.
What about the unregistered job itself?
An unregistered domestic glazing job leaves the homeowner without proof the work meets Building Regulations — which surfaces at the worst moment, usually when they sell the house and the buyer’s solicitor asks for the certificate. Chasing paperwork years after the event costs you time and goodwill, and that’s if it can be processed years down the line.
It also leaves your written guarantee unbacked. If your company ceased trading during that time, your customer would have no insurance route at all. The exact gap the rule was written to close.
What should you do if you’ve already missed one?
Act, don’t sit on it. Contact your Insurance Backed Guarantee provider straight away. The sooner you raise a missed job, the more options there are. Your provider can tell you what’s possible on the specific job.
Then fix the system rather than the symptom. Missed policies happen when you key jobs into two systems — one busy week, one forgotten login. With auto-issue, the policy follows your FENSA notification automatically, so a notified job can’t be a missed job. Here’s how it works.
How do you make a missed IBG impossible?
Notify every domestic job, and let the policy issue itself. With HomePro, FENSA sends your certificate data across each week, you get a 7-day window to mark exceptions, and every notified domestic job gets its Insurance Backed Guarantee. No second entry needed.
Thousands of UK installers run their glazing compliance this way. The weekly email takes thirty seconds to check, and your missed-job risk is reduced.
| Missed one, or worried you might? Call HomePro on 0800 131 0500 (Mon–Fri, 9:00am–5:00pm) or join now and put your Insurance Backed Guarantees on auto-issue. |
Frequently asked questions
What happens if a FENSA job has no Insurance Backed Guarantee?
FENSA can’t properly register the Building Regulations Compliance Certificate. The job doesn’t count as self-certified. The installer is in breach of scheme rules and faces suspension or expulsion from FENSA. And expulsion bars re-registration with the other glazing schemes.
Can I be expelled from FENSA for not issuing IBGs?
Yes. FENSA has warned publicly that installers failing to provide Insurance Backed Guarantees face expulsion, and an expelled installer cannot re-register with any other glazing Competent Person Scheme.
Can I fix a missed Insurance Backed Guarantee after the job?
Speak to your provider straight away — what’s possible depends on the job and the policy terms, and acting quickly always helps. Then move to auto-issue.So you don’t miss a notified job again.
Can the homeowner take action if they never received their IBG?
Yes. They can complain to FENSA and to Trading Standards. And if the sales documents promised an Insurance Backed Guarantee, failing to provide one can count as a misleading omission under consumer protection law.
How do I stop this happening at all?
Use a provider with auto-issue. The policy follows your FENSA notification automatically. No second portal, no end-of-month batch, no missed jobs on notified work.
Disclaimer: This post is for general information only. It is not financial, legal or insurance advice. While we take care to make sure the information is accurate, scheme rules, legal requirements and third-party details can change without notice — always check the latest position with the relevant scheme or official body before acting on anything here. HomePro accepts no liability for any loss arising from errors or omissions in, or reliance on, the information in this article. Insurance Backed Guarantees are subject to the terms, conditions and limitations of the individual policy.
