From this date, any new residential letting will require the landlord to provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to prospective tenants.The certificates will provide an assessment of how energy efficient a home is on a scale of A-G.
haart Chief Executive Paul Smith said: “The average property in the UK is in bands D-E for energy efficiency. This is clearly detrimental for any prospective tenant looking for a cost-efficient property to rent, particularly in the current economic climate. We would advise all landlords to consider improving the energy efficiency of their portfolios in order to increase the attractiveness of their properties to new tenants.”
An EPC includes recommendations on ways to improve a home’s energy efficiency to save money and to help the environment. According to haart. part of Britain’s largest independent estate agency, Spicerhaart, the energy performance of a property can be improved through fitting cavity wall or loft insulation, replacing a boiler and installing double glazing.
Energy efficiency can also be improved by replacing old appliances with new ones carrying the ‘Energy Saving Recommended’ logo, installing heating controls such as thermostats and using brush or PVC seals on exterior doors, floorboards and letterboxes.
Mr Smith continued: “Energy saving measures are hot topics right now. Assessing the energy efficiency of our rental properties is a huge priority as there will be a large number of EPCs required as the regulations come into force. We have been preparing for this legislation for many months, ensuring we have the assessors in place to undertake the work and highlighting the new law to our landlords. It will be a busy time for agents up and down the country but we are confident we are ready to meet demand.”