An Energy Performance Certificate gives you the energy performance of your property. There is a rating of A-G with A being the most energy efficient and G being the lowest. It has been a legal requirement since 2008 if you wish to sell or rent your property.
From April 2018 all rented properties had to be at least band E. If the property does not reach band E you are asked to make improvements to increase the efficiency such as install double glazed windows. You have to ensure that you can demonstrate to the surveyor what work you have dine that cannot be seen such as cavity wall insulation. It is important to keep photos and invoices of the work that has been carried out. After the inspection you will be able to see if where on the scale your property will reach based on the improvements carried out.
An up to date certificate must be presented to a tenant when they enquire about the property. If you do not present the EPC to the tenant then a Section 21 can not be issued. You can you use the website link at the bottom to find out what your properties EPC grade currently is.
There are some exceptions to the rules such as
laces of worship
temporary buildings that will be used for less than 2 years
stand-alone buildings with total useful floor space of less than 50 square metres
industrial sites, workshops and non-residential agricultural buildings
holiday accommodation that’s rented out for less than 4 months a year or is let under a licence to occupy
listed buildings
residential buildings intended to be used less than 4 months a year
https://www.gov.uk/buy-sell-your-home
When are the changes set to apply?
It had been circulated that by 2025 all rented properties had to reach a Grade C level but this has now been extended to 2028. Landlords have until this time to improve the energy efficiency of the property or prove you have spent £10,000 trying to achieve this already. If you do not comply the fines could reach £30,000.
The move to a greener world will again hit landlords in the purse with this change to the EPC grades, plus this government look to make heat pumps mandatory in all homes by 2035. But with the average heat pump costing £12,000 and with the potential to bring your EPC score down from a D to E if used in a Victorian semi-detached, no landlord is to make sure a huge investment. And what about the disruption caused to tenants? I have several friends who are off loading their properties as they do not have the funds in the next few years to increase the energy efficiency nor have the funds to absorb the funds - it makes their BTL finances unattainable. In the Landlordtoday.co.uk, they have polled that over third of a million landlords may quit the private rental sector. This means less homes on the market to rent, which allows supply and demand to increase rental fees and all due to a government who are squeezing all they can from the landlord. When is this to stop?
