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Under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, certain categories of plumbing work must be notified in writing to the water undertaker at least ten working days before work begins, unless the installer holds WaterSafe approved contractor status and self certifies.

Building Regulations Approved Document G3 requires that unvented hot water storage systems are installed only by a competent person holding a qualification independently assessed by a recognised certification body, and that each installation is certified and either notified to building control or processed through a competent person scheme.

WaterSafe is the UK approved contractor scheme operated by the water companies and WRAS that allows registered plumbing businesses to self certify notifiable work under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, removing the ten working day advance notification requirement.

UK plumbing work governed by the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 or Building Regulations Part G3 generates specific certification obligations — a water regulations compliance certificate for notifiable water fittings work, and a commissioning certificate for unvented hot water installations — and the absence of either creates liability for the installer and a gap in the property record.

The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 set the legal standard for every water fitting installed in the UK supply system, covering approved materials, backflow prevention by fluid risk category, waste prevention, and contamination protection — and it is the installer's legal responsibility to ensure compliance, not the manufacturer's.

To become a WaterSafe approved contractor, a plumbing business applies through APHC, CIPHE, or a participating water company, passes a technical assessment of water regulations knowledge for each certifying operative, holds appropriate public liability insurance, and agrees to operate within the scheme's code of practice.