Oil Firing Technical Association. OFTEC registration is the legal competent person scheme for oil heating installations and servicing. Required to self-certify oil boiler installations under Building Regulations.
| Issued by | OFTEC |
|---|---|
| Typical cost | £300 a year |
| Renewal | Every year |
| Who needs it | Oil engineers, heating engineers |
What you need to get it
4 requirements, and what counts as evidence for each.
OFTEC Qualifications
Hold OFTEC (or equivalent City & Guilds) qualifications relevant to your scope of work. Common codes: OFT101 (oil-fired appliance service/commissioning), OFT200 (installation), OFT105D (domestic oil storage).
Evidence: OFTEC or City & Guilds qualification certificates.
Public Liability Insurance
Minimum £2m public liability insurance covering oil heating work.
Evidence: Insurance certificate.
OFTEC Competency Assessment
Complete OFTEC’s registration assessment — a technical review of your qualifications and, in some cases, a practical assessment.
Evidence: Completed OFTEC application with qualification evidence.
Annual Registration Fee
Pay the annual OFTEC registration fee.
Evidence: Payment confirmation.
What you have to keep doing
Getting it is the easy part. Keeping it means:
Annual Renewal
Renew OFTEC registration each year. Maintain CPD relevant to oil equipment developments.
Self-Certify Oil Installations
Use OFTEC’s online system to notify local building control of notifiable oil boiler installations within 30 days.
Is it worth it?
At £300, the question isn’t the fee — it’s whether it wins you work. For oil engineers 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
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.