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Many landlords may not be aware of forthcoming legislation that comes into force whereby Energy Performance Certificates (EPC's) will be required for rental properties. These are essentially the same as those now required from people selling their properties as part of the Home Information Packs (HIP's) and are similar in appearance to certificates that appear on fridges and freezers.
Forum Lettings of Blandford Forum wish to advise landlords that, from 1st October 2008, it will be necessary that every landlord provides their prospective tenants with an EPC. This legislation only applies to tenancies commencing on or after 1st October 2008. Properties which are already occupied by a tenant at this date are temporarily exempt from this requirement until the tenancy is later renewed (if applicable).
EPC's will last for 10 years before they are required to be renewed, so the cost is not likely to be as burdensome as initially anticipated, with many originally fearing EPC's would need to be renewed before each new tenancy. Domestic Energy Assessors (DEA's) will be required to issue the certificates and the average cost for a typical two bedroom house is expected to be in the region of £100 + VAT.
The EPC's will provide each individual property with two energy ratings:
The SAP Rating:
This rating provides an indication of a property's energy efficiency. In basic terms, this consists of insulation values, heating and heat loss area. The higher the SAP rating, the lower the fuel costs to heat the home.
The Environmental Rating:
Is an assessment of the property's impact on the environment, with a computation on how much CO2 (carbon dioxide) the property would produce on average in a year. The lower the rating, the more impact it has on the environment.
The assessor will also provide details of how a property's energy efficiency could be improved (for example, by the installation of UPVC windows and cavity wall insulation etc.) It is important to note that there is no requirement for the landlord to act on any of the recommendations within the report.
One of the ideas behind the EPC, aside from the Government's requirement to comply with the European Energy Performance Buildings Directive 2002/91/EC (that requires all EU member states to introduce domestic legislation before January 2009), is that a prospective tenant (or buyer, in the case of HIP's) will be able to see the rating and make an informed choice about whether or not to rent a property based on the assessed energy efficiency. This could be of particular importance to tenants with a limited budget, but arguably less so to a tenant looking specifically for a period or character property; when the property's features will likely be a far greater factor.
From 1st October 2008, if all goes to plan, it will be illegal to advertise a property to rent unless it has a valid EPC. The legislation allows for a £200 fine to be imposed for failure to comply.
If written particulars are produced, they must contain, in addition to the EPC or rating, two of the following: A photograph of the building, a floor plan of the building or dimensions of the rooms.
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