Frequently Asked Questions

  • 1. What is an Insurance Backed Guarantee?

    • Under the changes in the Building Regulations that came into effect in April 2002, every consumer must be offered the opportunity to purchase an insurance policy to cover their installer's guarantee/warranty should the installer, for some reason, be unable to fulfil its guarantee obligations.

      Guarantee Insurance simply means that should an installer cease trading before the guarantee has expired that a claim under the terms of that guarantee can be made by the insuring company. Our policy defines ‘cease to trade’ as Liquidation, Receivership, Administration or the winding up of a business due to Bankruptcy or Death of the Principal(s).

  • 2. What does it cover?

    • Our guarantee insurance product covers exactly what is provided within the original installer’s written guarantee to the homeowner up to a maximum period of 10 years. Our policy defines ‘cease to trade’ as Liquidation, Receivership, Administration or the winding up of a business due to Bankruptcy or Death of the Principal(s).

  • 3. What is deposit protection?

    • Deposit Protection is a form of insurance that protects a homeowner in the event that a company ceases to trade having taken a deposit but failed to commence the work. Our policy defines ‘cease to trade’ as Liquidation, Receivership, Administration or the winding up of a business due to Bankruptcy or Death of the Principal(s).

  • 4. How can a homeowner or company purchase policies?

    • GGFi operates two distinct types of schemes – the ‘give’ scheme and the ‘offer’ scheme. Under FSA regulations, only an FSA-appointed body is able to directly sell insurance to customers – therefore, the IBG provider has to offer or sell the insurance on an installing company’s behalf.

      Under the terms of the ‘offer’ scheme, GGFi is notified by the installing company that an installation has been completed. GGFi then writes to the householder in question and offers them the opportunity to purchase the insurance directly from GGFi.

      Under the terms of the ‘give’ scheme, the installing company purchases a policy for the homeowner directly from GGFi for each installation that they notify. GGFi then sends the insurance policy paperwork directly to the homeowner.

  • 5. How can a new owner/s of a property transfer the Insurance Backed Guarantee into their name?

    • The IBG can pass to the subsequent owners of the property where the insured works are situated provided that the contractors written guarantee issued to you by the member company is transferrable. This is subject to the following:

      (a) the member company has not stopped trading at the time when the transfer is requested;

      (b) all documentation relevant to this insurance has been passed over to the new owner;

      (c) within thirty (30) days of the transfer of ownership of the property, this insurance document, together with a cheque for £25 made payable to: GGFi Limited, is sent to the administrator (GGFi Limited, 54 Ayres Street, London, SE1 1EU) together with the name of the new property owner and the date upon which the ownership of the property was transferred;

      (d) we reserve the right to decline a request for transfer of ownership.

  • 6. How does a company become GGFi registered?

    • To apply for GGFi registration, an application form needs to be submitted. Prospective applicants can apply online by clicking here or by requesting an application pack by contacting info@ggfi.org.uk.

      All applicants to GGFi undergo and pass a strict vetting process in order to be able to register with our Insurance Backed Guarantee scheme.

  • 7. Would I receive compensation if the underwriters were unable to meet its liabilities?

    • You may be entitled to compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), if underwriters cannot meet their liabilities under your policy. The level of compensation provided by the FSCS is that the first £2,000 of a claim or policy is protected in full, above this threshold, 90% of the rest of the claim will be met. Further information is available from the FSCS on 0207 892 7300 or at enquiries@fscs.org.uk.

  • 8. Is it possible for GGFi to cover trades other than windows, doors and conservatories?

    • GGFi can provide insurance products on a wide variety of trades – contact us here to get full information on the cover that we can offer.

      We are continually expanding our insurance product portfolio and if there is a trade or product here that is not listed, please contact us on either info@ggfi.org.uk or 0870 8508281 and we can discuss the possibility of setting up a product for your needs.

  • 9. How do I go about insuring Commercial works?

    • Commercial works are not covered in the same way as residential installation work. Each commercial contract will need to be referred to our underwriting body for consideration. To register a commercial contract with GGFi, (simply visit your GGFi member’s area and submit a form or alternatively) contact us on info@ggfi.org.uk or 0870 8508281 and we can provide you with a referral form to complete and return it to us. We will then provide you with a quote for the contract.

  • 10. Why is the GGFi IBG scheme the best value and easiest to use?

    • • The only scheme which automatically uses the FENSA Online System saving you time and reducing delays and errors
      • The only scheme supported by the GGF
      • The only scheme administered by the industries leading Glass Federation
      • Competitively priced
      • No membership fees
      • No need to duplicate any installation information.