Property News Archive
Fines threat
Landlords who do not produce Energy Performance Certificates could be fined £200.
The requirement becomes law on October 1 and places new responsibilities on landlords.
Communities and Local Government has just issued guidance for landlords on EPCs.
Landlords will have to produce the certificates once every ten years at their own expense and make them available to all prospective tenants, before any rental contract is signed.
The EPCs can be issued by Domestic Energy Assessors, Home Inspectors or by landlords themselves if they apply for accreditation.
There are some important points in the guidance.
EPCs will not be required for Houses in Multiple Occupation where there are shared facilities. But they will be mandatory on 'whole' or 'parts' of buildings where the 'parts' are self-contained units of accommodation.
EPCs will not be required where a tenant who is already in residence continues after October 1, even when a tenancy agreement is renewed. However, EPCs will be mandatory whenever there is a change of tenant.
The same EPC can be produced for up to ten years, even if the landlord updates the accommodation with improved insulation or other enhanced energy measures.
However, if the landlord decides to sell the rental property, the EPC will expire after one year of issue.
Other than HMOs, the only other exemption is for emergency accommodation provided by landlords for tenants needing to relocate urgently. Even so, EPCs must be provided as soon as possible.
Landlords who do not produce an EPC when asked, either by a tenant or local Trading Standards, will face fines of £200.
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