Accreditation
APHC Member (Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors)
The short version
- Issued byAPHC
- Typical cost£350 a year
- RenewalEvery year
- Who needs itPlumbers, heating engineers
What you need to get it
4 requirements, and what counts as evidence for each.
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Plumbing Qualifications.
Hold a recognised plumbing qualification — NVQ Level 2/3 in Plumbing & Heating, City & Guilds, or equivalent. For unvented systems: G3 Unvented Hot Water qualification. Evidence: Qualification certificates.
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Insurance.
Public liability insurance minimum £2m. Evidence: Insurance certificate.
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APHC Technical Assessment.
Complete APHC’s membership assessment demonstrating competence. Evidence: Completed APHC application form.
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Annual Membership Fee.
Pay the annual APHC membership subscription. Evidence: Payment confirmation.
What you have to keep doing
Getting it is the easy part. Keeping it means:
Annual Renewal. Renew annually. Keep qualifications and insurance current.
Self-Certify Part G Work. Notify building control of unvented hot water installations via APHC portal within 30 days.
Is it worth it?
At £350, the question isn’t the fee — it’s whether it wins you work. For plumbers it usually does, because it’s the first thing a cautious customer or a commercial buyer checks. Most trades hold accreditations and then hide the logos in the footer. If you’ve paid for it, it belongs where customers actually look.
Tracking it in Gaffer
Accreditations lapse quietly. The renewal date lands in a busy month, nobody spots it, and you find out when a customer asks for the certificate. Gaffer keeps your accreditations, evidence and renewal dates in one place and reminds you before they expire.