Choose a glazier who surveys the job, gives a detailed written quote, explains how the work will meet building regulations and can show current insurance. Under UK consumer law, work must be done with reasonable care and skill, and what the glazier tells you becomes part of the contract. Cancellation rights apply to many contracts, but made-to-measure goods are an exception.
What should I check before choosing a glazier?
Start with the basics: who you are dealing with, what they will do and how the work will be signed off. A glazier who measures on site and puts the full specification in writing gives you something to compare and something to hold them to. Getting more than one written quote for the same specification makes comparisons fair.
Look past the headline figure. Two quotes can differ because one includes safety glass, removal of old frames, making good and building regulations certification, and the other does not. Ask each company the same questions and keep their answers in writing, by email or on the quote itself.
- The full legal name and address of the business you will contract with
- A survey and measurements taken by the company, not estimated from photos alone
- A written quote listing the specification, not just a price
- How the work will meet building regulations where you live
- Current public liability insurance and, for employers, employers' liability insurance
- Guarantee terms set out in writing
- A clear explanation of deposits, payment stages and cancellation
What should a written glazing quote include?
A good quote describes exactly what you are buying, so there is no argument later about what was included. It should name the products, the glass, the finish and the work, and state the price for that specification including VAT where it applies. If anything is described only as standard or to be confirmed, ask what that means before you sign.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, anything the glazier says or writes to you about the service, which you rely on when deciding to go ahead, is treated as part of the contract. That is a good reason to get promises about products, timescales and tidying up written down.
- Sizes, frame material, colour and opening style for each item
- Glass type: toughened, laminated, obscure, low-E and gas fill
- Energy performance: whole-window U-value or energy rating
- Which panes are safety glass and why
- Removal and disposal of old glass and frames, and making good
- Building regulations route: competent person scheme or building control
- Payment stages, guarantee terms and cancellation information
Who handles building regulations for replacement windows?
Building regulations apply to replacement windows and doors across the UK, and the detail differs between nations. In England and Wales, the work must either be approved by building control or carried out by an installer registered with a competent person scheme, who can self-certify it. Government guidance lists the schemes authorised for replacement windows, doors, roof windows and rooflights, which include FENSA, CERTASS, Certsure, NAPIT, Blue Flame Certification and ASSURE.
If a registered installer does the work, you should receive a certificate within eight weeks of completion. Keep it with your property documents, because it will show up in solicitors' searches when you sell. If the installer is not registered, building control approval is needed, for example through a building notice for smaller projects. Ask which route will be used before work starts.
In Scotland, a complete replacement window generally does not need a building warrant but must still meet the building standards, while changing the size of an opening can bring in a warrant. In Northern Ireland, building control is run by the district councils, so ask the installer how the work will be approved where you live.
What insurance should a glazier have?
Ask about public liability insurance, which covers injury to other people and damage to their property caused by the work, such as a dropped pane damaging a floor or a neighbour's car. Ask to see the certificate, check the business name matches the company quoting you, and check the policy is current and covers glazing work.
In Great Britain, most businesses that employ staff must have employers' liability insurance by law, and they must display the certificate where employees can see it. A sole trader with no employees may not need it, but should still have public liability cover. Some competent person schemes also offer insurance-backed warranties and complaints procedures if there is a problem with the work, so ask whether one applies to your job.
How much deposit should I pay?
A deposit is normal for made-to-measure glazing, because windows, sealed units and toughened glass are manufactured for your job and cannot easily be resold. The deposit should be in proportion to the cost of ordering those products, with the balance due when the work is complete and you are satisfied. Be wary of being asked to pay most or all of the price before anything is made.
Ask how your deposit is protected if the business stops trading before the job is finished. Paying by credit card can give extra protection under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, which can make the card provider jointly liable with the supplier for a breach of contract or misrepresentation, within limits set by the Act. Get a receipt for every payment and make sure the payment stages are written in the contract.
What are my rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015?
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. For services, every contract is treated as including a term that the trader will perform the service with reasonable care and skill. If no completion time is agreed, the work must be done within a reasonable time. Information the trader gives you, and that you rely on, is binding.
If the work falls short of these standards, the Act gives you remedies against the trader, including the right to require the work to be performed again and, in some cases, a price reduction. Raise problems in writing as soon as you notice them, with photos, and give the business a fair chance to respond. Goods supplied as part of the job, such as windows and glass, must also be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described.
Citizens Advice can explain your rights and how to take a complaint further, and it publishes separate advice for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It can also pass reports about unfair trading to Trading Standards. Keep copies of the quote, contract, receipts, emails and photos, because they are your evidence if a dispute cannot be settled directly with the business.
Can I cancel a glazing contract?
Often, but not always. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, which apply across the UK, many contracts made away from the trader's premises, such as in your home, or at a distance, carry a right to cancel. For a service contract, the cancellation period normally ends 14 days after the day the contract is made, and where goods are supplied it normally runs from when the goods are delivered. The trader must give you information about this right.
There are important exceptions. The regulations exclude the supply of goods made to the consumer's specifications or clearly personalised, which can include made-to-measure windows, doors and glass. They also exclude contracts where you specifically asked the trader to visit for urgent repairs or maintenance. If you want work to start within the cancellation period, you must ask expressly, and if you then cancel you may have to pay for the work already done.
Because these rules depend on how your contract is set up, ask the glazier to explain in writing whether you can cancel, until when, and what you would owe at each stage, especially before manufacture starts. If a trader gives no cancellation information for a contract signed in your home, ask Citizens Advice what that means for you.
What are the warning signs of a poor glazier?
Most problems can be spotted before you sign. Be cautious of anyone who will not put the price and specification in writing, cannot give a business address, or puts pressure on you to decide on the spot. A trader who is vague about building regulations, or says certification is not needed for replacement windows, is another warning sign.
We arrange glazing across the UK through glaziers working under our trading company. Every job starts with a survey and a written quote that fixes the price for the specification shown, and guarantee terms are set out in writing with your quote. Whoever you choose, use the same checks.
- No written quote, or a price that changes once work starts
- Pressure to sign immediately or a discount that disappears tomorrow
- A request for full payment up front or for cash only
- No proof of insurance or a certificate in a different name
- No clear answer on building regulations or certification
- No cancellation information for a contract signed at home
Frequently asked questions
How many quotes should I get for glazing work?
There is no fixed number, but getting more than one written quote for the same specification lets you compare like with like. Ask each company to survey the job and list the glass, frames, finish, building regulations route, guarantee terms and payment stages. A lower price that leaves out safety glass, disposal or certification may cost more in the end.
What is a competent person scheme?
A competent person scheme lets registered installers self-certify that certain building work meets building regulations, instead of the homeowner applying to building control. In England and Wales, schemes authorised for replacement windows and doors include FENSA, CERTASS, Certsure, NAPIT, Blue Flame Certification and ASSURE. You should receive a certificate within eight weeks of completion. Ask which scheme the installer is registered with and check with that scheme.
Can I cancel an order for made-to-measure windows?
It depends on the contract. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give a cancellation right for many contracts made in your home or at a distance, but exclude goods made to your specifications or clearly personalised, which can include made-to-measure windows and glass. Ask the company to confirm in writing whether you can cancel, until when, and what you would owe once manufacturing starts.
What happens if I do not receive a building regulations certificate?
For replacement windows in England and Wales, a registered installer should give you a certificate within eight weeks of completion. If it does not arrive, contact the installer first, then the competent person scheme they are registered with. If the installer was not registered and no building control approval was obtained, ask your local building control body what can be done.
Should a glazier charge for a quote?
Practice varies between companies. Some survey and quote without charge for standard work, while others charge for detailed design, structural calculations or long-distance visits. Either way, the business should tell you before the visit if there is a charge and what it covers. The quote itself should be in writing and show the specification, the price, payment stages and guarantee terms.
Sources
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, regulation 28 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Competent person schemes: current schemes (GOV.UK)
- Building regulations approval: use a competent person scheme (GOV.UK)
- Employers' liability insurance (GOV.UK)
- Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Building standards technical handbook 2020: domestic, 0.5 work not requiring a warrant (gov.scot)
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