Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) will be required for rented property from October 2008. Are you ready?
The EPC will be required whenever the property is marketed to prospective new tenants. We can bring you up to date with the latest thinking from CLG and help you prepare for implementation.
Background Information about the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is provided here. A Home Information Pack is not required for rentals or Right to Buy sales – the EPC will be a stand alone document in these cases. The latest CLG guidance document can be found here.
When is an EPC required? The EPC must be provided every time a property is marketed to potential new tenants. A new EPC need not be provided on renewal of a tenancy agreement. The documents must be available when the property is being viewed, or when an offer of accommodation is made.
Validity period EPCs used for rental purposes can be valid for up to 10 years. This applies to EPCs issued for both existing and newbuild properties.
Undertaking Assessments Many local authorities and RSLs already have large amounts of information about their housing stock which could be useful for the production of EPCs. Staff may already have experience of undertaking energy surveys. However, the EPBD requires that EPCs are issued by specifically trained and accredited Domestic Energy Assessors. See here for more information.
Training to produce EPCs for the rental sector To work in the social rented sector, qualified DEAs must also be aware of CLG’s sampling method. NHER offers an online CPD course about CLG’s sampling method for members of its Accreditation Scheme. Requirements for DEAs working in the social rented sector are expected to change and we will keep this page up to date.
For information about training as a DEA, see here.
Social Housing Pilot Communities and Local Government produced guidance on sampling for the pilot of EPCs in Social Housing undertaken in 2007 - see here for the full document.
The results are being considered by CLG; no feedback has yet been published. However, we understand that the sampling methodology was found to be unsuitable for many RSLs and that CLG intend to revise their guidance. For most RSLs it is expected that it may be cheaper to survey properties individually rather than use sampling.
To see CLG’s presentation at our conference in October 2007, see here.
Interim guidance for RSLs Guidance prepared for RSLs by Places for People and Energy for Sustainable Development with funding from the Housing Corporation. This was issued during summer 2007 and some of the dates have been superseded but provides a useful overview. Click here to read the document.
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