In April 2018 it became illegal to let a property or renew a tenancy with an Energy Performance Certification (EPC) with an energy rating of F or G (the lowest on the scale). More changes are coming this 1st April (2020) that will extend these regulations to cover all existing residential tenancies, regardless of whether the lease is new or not. As of 1st April, every tenanted property will need to have a valid EPC with an energy rating of E or higher.
Luckily, we've been diligent in making sure that all of our let properties pass the minimum EPC rating and very few of our landlords will be affected by this new legislation. One point of concern that we want to highlight is that EPC ratings can slip over time in the 10 years between assessments. A rating can slip from a pass to a fail, particularly if the most recent rating was near the cutoff point, so passing the assessment once doesn't guarantee a pass on the next assessment.
Should your property receive an EPC rating of F or G, there's no need to panic. We have experienced technicians on hand with our in-house maintenance team that can make cost-effective suggestions for how to bump that rating up to a pass. Sometimes, the solution can be as simple as updating the light bulbs to a more efficient model, and in other cases, we need to go a bit more in-depth to look at heating systems and insulation. It's worth noting that if your property received an energy rating of E on its last assessment, you may require an update in the near future as it is likely that the minimum EPC rating will be increased to "D" within the next couple of years.
Whatever your case may be, we have you covered with the latest changes in legislation. We're all about being prepared and getting ahead of the curve!
Give us a call at 020 7644 2312 or send an email to reagan@paramount-properties.co.uk if you have any questions or concerns about recent changes. We'd love to heard from you!
