My credentials, and what each one actually means

Gas Safe Register — 917962

Gas Safe registration is a legal requirement for anyone working on gas in the UK. It is not a badge you buy. It is renewed every year, and the work I do can be inspected by the Register at any time.

Check 917962 on the Gas Safe Register →

CIPHE member — 129130

The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering is the professional body for the trade — not a paid-for directory. Members are vetted before they join, have to keep their skills current, and answer to an independent complaints panel. If I ever fall short, there is somewhere to go that isn’t me.

No other heating firm in Bolton publishes CIPHE membership.

About the CIPHE →

WaterSafe approved contractor

WaterSafe approval means I am authorised to work on your drinking water supply, to the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations. It matters most on leak detection, pipework and anything feeding a tap you drink from. WaterSafe does not issue membership numbers — search my postcode, BL2 2TA, and I come up.

Search BL2 2TA on WaterSafe →

Accredited installer — Baxi, Worcester Bosch and Ideal

I am an accredited installer with all three of my main boiler manufacturers. On qualifying appliances that lets me register a longer manufacturer guarantee than a non-accredited installer can offer. The exact length depends on the boiler and the scheme at the time, so I tell you the period that applies to yours in writing before you commit — and I register it on your behalf once the work is done.

My own guarantee

24 months on my workmanship for boiler, heating, gas and plumbing work. 12 months on bathroom installations where other trades are involved — tiling in particular — because I am not the only trade in the room. That shorter period does not affect the 24 months on any plumbing or heating work done as part of the same job, and it does not reduce your legal rights.

It runs from the date the work is completed, and it covers workmanship. How I did the job — the pipework, the flue, the commissioning, the way it was put together. It is not a guarantee on the appliance; the manufacturer covers that, and their guarantee and mine run alongside each other from the same day. Mine does not start when theirs runs out. Section 12 of CMG’s terms sets it out in full.

Insurance

£5 million public liability, underwritten by U K Insurance Limited (Direct Line for Business). A copy of the certificate is available on request — just ask.

The business itself

• VAT registered — GB 439690161
• ICO data protection registration — ZC217946, verify on the ICO register →
• CIS registered for contractors — UTR supplied on request for HMRC verification
• CMG Heating and Plumbing is the trading name of Chris Greenhalgh, a sole trader, at 39 Wisbeck Road, Bolton BL2 2TA

There is only me

CMG Heating and Plumbing is one person. Me. There is no call centre, no rota of engineers, and no sales team on commission. Whoever you speak to on the phone is the same person who prices your job, and the same person who turns up and does it.

That is the whole reason the rest of this page works. One name against one Gas Safe number, and nothing lost between the man who quoted and the man who fits it.

So what happens if I am ill, or already on another job? A fair question, and better answered here than left for you to wonder about.

I work a four-day week and book by appointment. A service, a quote or a planned job goes into the next free slot — I would rather give you a date I can keep than one that sounds good on the phone. Same-day work I can usually manage within about seven miles of Bolton; further out it is the next available day.

If something urgent lands while I am tied up on another job, or I am off ill, there is another Gas Safe registered engineer I have worked with and trust who will cover for me. You would be told before he arrived, never after — and if you would rather wait for me instead, you can, at no charge. CMG’s 24 month workmanship guarantee and £5 million public liability cover stand behind the work either way.

I am not a 24 hour company and I do not advertise as one. What I will promise is that you always know who is coming, and when.

What does not depend on me

This is the honest weak spot of using one person rather than a large firm, so here it is stated plainly. The protections that matter most are not mine to withdraw:

• Your manufacturer’s guarantee is registered against your appliance and honoured by Baxi, Worcester Bosch or Ideal — not by me.
• Your Building Regulations certificate is lodged through the Gas Safe Register, and you can obtain a copy from them at any time.
• Your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 run for six years, and nothing I guarantee shortens them.

Two things I will not do

I will not certify work I did not carry out or commission. If another engineer has run pipework or fitted an appliance before I arrive, I cannot put my registration behind it. I can inspect it, tell you plainly what is wrong, and price putting it right.

I will not carry out work that does not comply with the Gas Safety Regulations, the Water Regulations or the Building Regulations — whatever the deadline. Those registrations are the reason you are using me rather than a general plumber.