Lettings
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) comprises a full energy survey of a dwelling, either as part of the Home Information Pack or as a stand alone document for landlords. It includes an energy rating with estimated annual costs for heating and lighting. It also includes recommendations for improvements. Each certificate comes with an asset rating for your agent if required.From October 2008 the law applying to tenanted property changes and Landlords will have to provide Energy Performance Certificates for every property that they let.
The EPC is being phased in across all residential, commercial and rented property. Only qualified domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs) can carry out the inspection and once complete an A to G rating will be applied to the property with recommendations' to further improver thermal efficiency.
With nationwide coverage and a team of experienced, professional domestic energy assessors we feel confident of our ability to provide an exceptional service that is difficult to match and impossible to exceed. Our team of qualified assessors have been CRB checked and have over 12 months experience liaising with letting agents, property management companies and tenants to provide EPC's for rented properties to the very highest of standards. Whether you hold a portfolio of 100 properties or just a few your account manager will oversee the process of certification and be available for any questions relating to the EPC after they are issued. The new legislation regarding Energy Performance Certificates (EPC's) will also affect all Social Housing in England and Wales from October 2008.
This has significant implications for registered social landlords in that all your property portfolio will require an EPC before a change of tenant after this date. The EPC will last for a maximum of 10 years, if a valid Energy Performance Certificate still exists when changing tenants no new certificate is required.
The new regulations on sampling and cloning techniques may allow an energy assessor to issue an Energy Performance Certificate where the property has not been individually assessed but is considered the same as, or similar to other housing units in a block. e.g. multiple flats in a block of same dimensions, construction and heating. Thus, surveying a percentage of properties can provide a representative sample of all units in a block. Surveys of properties that require cloned EPC's will have a lower price, this is because the energy assessor requires entry to only some of the dwellings in the block. The remaining EPC ratings can be calculated using the information gathered from the initial energy surveys. In order to ascertain what properties can be cloned and those that cannot, the Social Housing Provider needs to provide a spreadsheet containing basic details of all the properties. All properties need to be assigned to a group with similar characteristics.
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From the Cambridge Evening News |
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 Our senior inspector, Justin Cooper, writes on issues relating to HIPS and Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) in the Property section of the Cambridge Evening News. Catch up with his column here! |
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Justin writes: "Many members of the public ask, 'how long will my HIP last?' - the most common question I come across in my working day . I have simplified the answer (subject to change by the government) so please read on."