Landlords urged to prepare for EPC

Landlords and property owners are being advised not to put off commissioning energy surveys in order to meet a new requirement for Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs).

In a recent press release from the CLG (Department for Communities and Local Government), from 1 October in England and Wales, EPCs will be mandatory for the sale, rent or construction of all non-domestic buildings. For landlords, this means a valid certificate will be needed for any property as soon as it is being offered to let.

EPCs are available via qualified and accredited specialist suppliers known as Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs), and via panel firms such as the-energy-portal. Chief executive of the-energy-portal , Stephen Callaghan said, "there is likely to be an increasing demand for EPCs over the coming months, so commissioning an early energy survey is important. Without EPCs, property owners will be unable to sell their properties or sign up new tenants, which could of course result in loss of income.

The certificates, which are already required for some larger non-domestic buildings, provide a seven band 'A to G' rating, with category A being the most energy efficient and G being the least.

The EPC used for residential lettings can be up to 10 years old, though if a newer EPC is produced for the property only the latter is valid.

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