Energy Performance Certificates

From 1st October 2008 new legislation will require all rental properties to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) in place before the start of any new tenancy; in much the same way as they are currently required to have a Landlord’s Gas Safety Record.

Extensions of pre 1st October 2008 tenancies will count as new tenancies and will therefore require an EPC. The certificates will be valid for 10 years.

Tenants are becoming extremely conscious of the cost of running any particular house. The new legislation states that prospective Tenants must be shown the EPC before he/she signs the lease in order that an informed choice can be made. It is the Landlords/agents responsibility to provide the EPC to the prospective Tenant and failure to do so could invalidate the tenancy agreement and lead to a fine of £200 for non-compliance.

Clearly a Tenant’s choice of one property over another could be significantly influenced by the potential running costs. We therefore recommend that Landlord’s consider improving the energy performance of their property before they get the EPC.
The most obvious ways of doing this are insulating cavity walls and roof spaces and double-glazing the windows. Most heat is lost through the walls, roof and windows. If your boiler is more than 15 years old the energy rating of a new one, with modern controls, will be significantly higher than the old one and very relevant to potential Tenants. Please call the office if you would like our help in arranging any of the above improvements.

www.energysavingtrust.org.uk will provide you with a free online Home Energy Check. This is NOT an EPC but will give you some idea of where your property is likely to be on a scale of A – G, where A is the most efficient and G the least efficient.

Carthew’s can of course arrange the acquisition of the EPC for all our Landlords. We recommend that you have this done as soon as possible since demand for the inspectors come October will be high and could delay the start of any new tenancy. Please call the office if you would like to order your EPC or further clarify any aspect of the new legislation.

Energy Performance Certificate helpline 0845 365 2468