Industry Insights

Today, Tuesday 1st August 2017, marks the 10th anniversary of the Energy Performance Certificate (or EPCs).

These popped into our lives as part of the Home Information Pack in 2007. Unlike the HIPs, EPCs survived, and it looks like they are here to stay.

EPCs are a familiar character in any landlord’s life - as along with the how to rent guide and gas safety certificate, it is a legal requirement to provide your tenant with an EPC when you let a property. If you fail to do so you risk not being able to serve a section 21 notice, should you need to.

But before you start lighting the candles on the cake, you may want to dig out your EPC and take a closer look.

As EPCs are valid for ten years this anniversary marks the expiry of the first EPCs that were produced. And if your EPC was produced 10 years ago it is highly likely that the details recorded at the time are now not up to date.

Why does this matter?

Because from April 2018, all new tenancies in England and Wales must have a minimum EPC rating of E. This means if your property is F or G rated it will be illegal to start a new tenancy. And falling foul of the rules could mean a £5,000 fine.

Your property may have got a D rating at the time for example, and so you might assume you are sitting pretty. However, it is possible that if your property was re-assessed now it may fall below an E, which would mean you couldn’t let it and could end up with a hefty fine if you do.

By 2020 the rules will apply to all tenancies.

However, you may have had upgrades and improvements made to your home in that time, which may even make your rating better. In that case – make it champagne with the cake J