Energy Performance Certificates for landlords in the UK

An Energy Performance Certificate or EPC was always integral to official renting procedures. Providing an Energy Performance Certificate to his tenant has become compulsory for every landlord from October 2008, following the passing of the new property act. The formal implementation of the rule is slated for 1st October. The EPC must contain a detailed account of the energy efficiency of the property concerned. However, if you have already rented a building before 1st October, you are outside the purview of this new rule.

The EPC you will get from your landlord is to be a free provision along with the property being rented. The EPC is handed over to the tenant as soon as he views the building and wants to know relevant information about energy utilization. The tenant has the right to go through the EPC before entering into any contract with the landlord.

What does an EPC mean?

An EPC or Energy Performance certificate provides you the necessary information about the energy efficiency of a house. Within this head, you get to know all the details regarding power and electricity efficiency, power consumption and conservation power of the building. So, you get a fair idea of the total electricity bill you have to pay once you own the house. In addition, an EPC also assesses the effect on ecology that is likely to be produced by the energy emissions from your property. The EPC remains valid for 10 years and is applicable for only self-contained properties. If you are sharing or renting a room in the building under a different and unique contract with the landlord, an EPC is not needed.

How do you read the EPC rating?

The EPC rating standard ranges from 'A' to 'G'. The more your house scores towards 'A', the better its rating. However, in most cases, a property gets as far as 'D' and 'E'. If you want to increase your EPC rating, you have to concentrate on a number of points like the heating, lighting, property layout, insulation system, age of the house. If your property scores individually in all these fields, the overall rating will be good.

Is the EPC important for a tenant?

As a tenant, you need to know about the energy efficiency of the house that you are trying to rent. This will make you aware of the costs that are required for running the home. The estimated running cost of the home depends on the standard postulations about a property, which includes the number of people who can live in the house comfortably, and the heating time each day as well as the fuel costs during the time when the EPC was produced.

The other EPC plus points

The EPC will help you make a comparison between the many properties based on energy efficiency. The EPC also has a recommendation report. The report has the many ways to improve the overall energy efficiency of the house. This helps you to opt for a house that has good energy efficiency. The report also gives you the information on the estimated costs for the improvements that are suggested in the recommendation report. The report lets you reduce the fuel bills and cut down the carbon emission.

Get Your Energy Performance Certificates or EPC from your local Domestic Energy Assessor