LANDLORDS RESPONSIBILITY

 

An Energy Performance Certificate doesn't have to be made available if:

• the landlord believes that the tenant is unlikely to have enough money to rent the property; or
• they are not genuinely interested in renting that type of property; or
• the landlord is unlikely to rent out the property to the prospective tenant (although this doesn't permit unlawful discrimination).

EPC Advice for Landlords - Do not risk a £200 a day fine  - ensure you have an EPC for your property.

• Commission your EPC now: an EPC will have a shelf life of 10 years so if you have a high turnover of tenants, don’t wait until the current ones are about to leave - commission your EPC now to save time and hassle further down the line
• Use an accredited DEA: ensure you use an accredited Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) - details can be found at www.epcregister.com
• Be prepared: before the DEA arrives make sure you have all the information they will require, ready - date of when the property was built, info on whether the property has been extended or double glazed, whether walls have been insulated etc - a full checklist can be found at www.communities.gov.uk/epbd
• Follow the recommendations: take time to review the recommendations in your EPC - if your property has received a relatively poor rating (F or G) then take steps to improve its energy efficiency such as cavity wall insulation
• Get help: There are Government schemes available which will allow landlords to work with tenants to improve the EPC rating of their property.
• Get advice: if you’re not sure on what changes will provide the greatest energy savings contact the Energy Savings Trust who will be able to give you impartial advice - www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

Where can you get an Energy Performance Certificate and what happens if you don't have one?

A landlord can only obtain an Energy Performance Certificate from a licensed Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA).

If landlords, or letting agents, don't have a valid Energy Performance Certificate, they risk being reported to their local Trading Standards office and also the Office of Fair Trading. They may be fined and risk having a possible invalid 'Tenancy Agreement'.