Can I get a HETAS certificate for wood burners?

A lost, missing or never-issued compliance record for a stove leaves two questions: can I get a HETAS certificate now, and what will it cost? A copy can be ordered from HETAS for £36, but where no certificate was ever issued, the answer lies with Building Control rather than HETAS.

Replacing a lost HETAS certificate

A HETAS Certificate of Compliance is issued once, at the time of installation. If your client's copy has gone missing, HETAS can supply a replacement certificate. Before you pay for one, confirm that the installation was notified through HETAS in the first place.

Check that a record exists

The original installer is the first contact if the business is still trading. It should hold its own record of the installation and may be able to supply a duplicate or confirm the notification. If that fails, HETAS Consumer Support can check whether the work was notified and verify the registrant's details. The more you give them, the quicker they can find the record:

• Installation address: the property where the appliance was installed.
• Approximate date: the month or year the work was completed.
• Appliance make and model: as shown on the stove or its paperwork.
• Installing business: its trading name and, if known, its HETAS registration number.

Order a copy online

Once the record is confirmed, you can obtain a HETAS certificate copy through the HETAS certificate search. Enter the postcode or reference number, then verify an email address with the code you receive. Each separate search needs a new verification code, so run one search at a time.

A replacement copy costs £36. After payment, you should receive a HETAS certificate by email, along with a confirmation and an invoice, usually within 30 minutes. That copy is your client's proof of compliance for the installation as it was fitted.

When a replacement is unnecessary

If the original certificate never arrived, the copy is free. The condition is timing: HETAS support must be contacted within 2 months of the installation being completed. After that, the standard fee applies.

A certificate of compliance does not expire. It stays valid as long as the appliance, flue and system are not altered or significantly upgraded. Once any of these are changed, the old copy no longer covers the work and a new HETAS certificate is required. The full installation requirements are set out in our log burner installation guidelines.

Can HETAS certify a past installation?

A replacement copy only exists if a certificate was issued in the first place. Where none was produced, the question changes: who can still confirm that the work complies with Building Regulations, and by which route?

Who can issue the original

Only the HETAS registered installer responsible for the installation work can complete and sign the certificate of compliance for it. The distinction lies in responsibility. HETAS registration requirements for England and Wales, in the conditions dated August 2025, let a registered business self-certify only work that a competent registered installer carried out on its behalf. The business remains responsible for that installation.

In England and Wales there are two lawful ways to complete a domestic solid fuel installation:

• Competent person scheme: a registered installer self-certifies the work and notifies it through the scheme.
• Building Control approval: the application is made before work starts, with inspections and fees.
• Replaced paperwork: a registered installer's certification takes the place of a separate Building Notice.
• Owner's role: under the first route, the customer does not apply separately to the local authority.

As a result, HETAS certification belongs to the installation from the day it is completed, not to the property.

Why retrospective issue is unavailable

A compliance certificate can only be issued when the installation is done. Once the work is complete, no retrospective HETAS certificate for wood or multi-fuel appliances can be created. An unrelated registered installer cannot inspect historic work and sign it off. The certificate is the certifying business's declaration of responsibility for its own installation.

The same principle applies to registration numbers. A HETAS number printed on paperwork or a notice plate does not show that a particular wood burning stove was notified or compliant. It is evidence about the installer, not the job.

Building-control routes and costs

Where no certificate was issued, the alternative is a late completion or regularisation process with Building Control, which can lead to a Building Regulations compliance certificate. If accepted, this settles Building Regulations approval. It does not create a HETAS certificate, which stays a separate document issued by the installer. The deadlines and rules differ depending on where the work took place:

• England and Wales: for work not yet started, a non-registered installer must apply first. Under a Building Notice, work can start 2 days after submission.
• Scotland: a building warrant is needed before warrantable work starts, and a completion certificate afterwards.
• Northern Ireland: the district council can consider regularisation after inspection, testing and opening-up.

In practice, an inspection by building control can cost up to £300, with no guarantee of approval. Non-compliant work may need altering or reinstalling before any certificate is issued. For HETAS-notified work, the registered business must submit the notification within 14 calendar days of completion. HETAS then has 30 days to notify the local authority. The full rules are explained in our guide to log burner installation regulations in the UK.

Consequences of missing compliance evidence

A solid fuel appliance with no certificate or approval on file is not automatically unsafe or unlawful. Its compliance is simply harder to prove. That gap tends to show up first with insurers, and then when the property is sold.

Insurance implications

Insurers may ask for evidence that the appliance complies with Building Regulations. Some may require an official inspection before they continue cover. A missing certificate does not automatically void a policy, but it weakens the owner's position if a claim is made:

• Fire claims: the insurer may dispute payment if the required compliance evidence is absent.
• Carbon monoxide incidents: the same risk of a disputed claim applies.
• Continued cover: an inspection may be a condition of keeping the policy.
• Disclosure: owners without certification should contact their insurer directly.

Selling or remortgaging the property

Buyers, solicitors, mortgage lenders and insurers commonly ask for either the competent-person certificate or Building Control approval for the most recent installation. Where neither is available, the sale can be delayed, put at risk or reduced in value, especially if the seller must arrange inspection, remedial work or regularisation before completion.

The cost of that work can be significant. Installing a stove and flue typically costs £1,500 to £3,500, depending on the appliance and the property. Any remedial work or reinstallation comes on top of that.

Records that support verification

A permanently fixed data notice plate records the hearth, fireplace, flue or chimney details, the appliance capabilities and the installation date. DataPlate Hub treats that plate as the link that lets a surveyor or insurer identify the system it serves, as explained in our article on what a wood-burning stove data plate is.

A notice plate sits alongside certification or approval; it does not replace them. Failure to notify the local authority can lead to enforcement action, including a requirement to alter, remove or reinstall the appliance at the owner's expense.

Frequently Asked Questions