LEGAL CHANGES affecting landlords

Published 30th May 2008

Where the local authority receives a building notice, initial notice or full plans application for building regulations after 1st May, the home information pack for the new home to which the application relates must include a 'sustainability certificate'. A sustainability certificate is a certified assessment of the home against the Standards in the Code of Sustainable Homes.

Energy Performance Certificates
On a sale or letting, all commercial buildings with 50 sq m or more of floor area will require an 'Energy Performance Certificate' from 1st October 2008. The certificates are, at the moment, only required for commercial buildings with a floor area over 10,000 sq m. The requirement will also be imposed for commercial buildings with a floor area over 2,500 sq m from July.

The certificates must be provided to all prospective buyers/tenants at the earliest opportunity and no later than: (1) when any written information about the building is provided in response to a request for information; (2) when a viewing is conducted; or (3) no later than entering into a contract to sell or let.

Heritage Protection Bill

A Bill including proposals for the streamlining of the heritage protection system has been published by The Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Some of the proposals are to:

1. create a simple unified system for designation, to be called the Heritage Register;

2. introduce a system for provisional registration to give interim protection to buildings being considered for designation;

3. replace listed building consents and scheduled monument consents with a new 'heritage asset consent';

4. facilitate 'Heritage Protection Agreements' between owners, local authorities and English Heritage to enable owners of buildings to carry out agreed work whilst removing the need to make time-consuming and repetitive applications for consent on larger or more complex sites."

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