Buy-to-let landlords warned about new rules on Energy Performance Certificates

Published 16th Mar 2012

Buy-to-let landlords are being warned that eco-laws on property rental will be tightened up next month.

All privately rented homes in the UK must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which sets out information on the efficiency and environmental impact of a property.

It is part of the Government's drive to meet national targets on curbing carbon emissions.

From 6 April 2012, landlords and letting agents will have just seven days to produce an EPC after they’ve started marketing the property for new tenants, rather than the previous 28 day period.

Also, the full report must also be provided to prospective tenants rather than just the graph showing energy efficiency, as at present.

‘EPCs give tenants vital information about the energy efficiency of their property and also contain an estimate of their utility bills,’ said David Salusbury, chairman of the National Landlords Association.

‘They also help landlords make informed decisions about how to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties by recommending improvements.’

‘Landlords have clearly been doing their bit, with 54% recently stating they’d made energy efficiency improvements to their properties in the past 12 months.’

The reports, which cost around £50 to compile, rank each home A to G and set out typical bills that should be expected.

Source: ' ThisIsMoney '

View All Latest Articles