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EPC's
- Advice to landlords (Energy
Performance Certificate's)
On Rent
When
buildings are to be rented out, the landlord is responsible for
ensuring a valid certificate is made available to all
prospective tenants.
The
EPC and recommendation report must be made available free of
charge by a landlord to a prospective tenant
at the earliest
opportunity
and no later than:
- when
any written information about the building is provided in
response to a request for information received
from
the prospective tenant;
or
- when
a viewing is conducted; or
- if
neither of those occur, before entering into a contract to sell
or let.
An Energy
Performance Certificate does not have to be
made available if:
- the landlord believes that the prospective tenant is
unlikely to have sufficient funds to purchase or rent the property
or is not genuinely
interested in renting that type of property; or
- the landlord is unlikely to be prepared to rent out the
property to the prospective or tenant (although this
does not authorize
unlawful discrimination)
Homes
will require an EPC on rent from 1 October 2008.
An
EPC for rented property is valid for ten years currently.
The
only person who is able to produce an Energy Performance Certificate
is an accredited energy assessor.
Energy
Performance Certificates
By
October 2008 all buildings whenever sold, built or rented will
need an Energy Performance
Certificate (EPC).
The
certificate provides energy efficiency A-G ratings and recommendations
for improvement.
The ratings - similar
to those
found on products such
as fridges - are standard so the energy
efficiency of one building can easily be compared with
another building of
a similar type.
Acting
on an EPC is important to cut energy consumption, save money
on bills and
help
to safeguard the environment.
EPCs
were first introduced for the marketed sale of domestic homes,
as part of the
Home Information Pack. If you are
buying or selling a
home it is now law to have a certificate.
By 1st October 2008 all buildings
whenever
built, sold
or rented will
require one.
What
does an assessment for an EPC involve?
An
accredited energy assessor needs to visit a property to conduct
an energy assessment for an existing building.
During the
assessment
they collect information on the
property, which includes details of its dimensions,
construction
and heating/hot
water provision.
The
time taken to perform an energy assessment will vary according
to the size and nature
of the property, on
average between 30-50mins
for normal size properties.
This
information is fed into the approved software programme
which produces the
EPC and recommendation report.
The energy assessor will
then record the certificate
onto a national register
via his or
her accreditation scheme
and provide the seller,
or prospective landlord with
a
copy. The certificate is
then ready to be
given to
new building owners
or made available to prospective
buyers or tenants.
What
are the benefits to me as a landlord?
The
energy rating can help rent out your property.
They indicate to a prospective buyer
or tenant
how
energy
efficient your
home is. It should also
provide information
that may help to reduce
the running cost
of the property.
What
happens if my home gets a low rating?
This
simply indicates your home could be
more energy efficient. During the
inspection
a number
of recommendations
to improve
the energy efficiency
will be
identified. Implementation
of these could not
only increase your
rating and reduce carbon
emissions but also
save money on energy
bills.
It is
up to you whether
you implement the recommendations
or not.
Source:
http://www.communities.gov.uk
View
PDF - A Landlord's Guide to EPC's
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