Energy Performance Certificate - Know More About Them!

By Author: Sadhana
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Landlords and house owners usually spend a sizeable amount of money on property. It is imperative on part of landlords to have an Energy Performance Certificate. An EPC holds significant amount of importance as it states the energy consumption of a house or building.

You can get a copy of a valid EPC if you are thinking of buying or renting a property. Basically, the EPC is included in the Home Information Pack (HIP) that the seller must have completed before starting to market the property. If you are a landlord, it is advisable you must have a valid EPC as this will be required when you change tenants.

The Energy Performance Certificate and recommendations report must be provided free of charge by the landlord to potential new tenants at the earliest opportunity. It means that:

When a prospective buyer wishes to buy a house, he must be provided with an EPC

Moreover, information on the property must also be provided in writing at the request of a potential tenant

It is necessary to provide an EPC before a tenant signs a contract to rent the property

It is a must to have an EPC when ...
... a landlord wishes to change the tenants. It must also be provided before the start of the new tenancy or before the house is put on sale. In case, a landlord plans to sell a building or land premise, he or she must make available a copy of an EPC to the prospective tenant. The owner must have an EPC when a house or building premise is put on sale. In case, a building is leased through an agency, you may wonder who is responsible for purchasing an EPC. This depends on the contract between building owner and tenant.

In case, you happen to lose an EPC, you can obtain a copy of it. If the property was subject to a building warrant on or after 1 May 2007, the information will be held by the local authority. If not, you can contact the approved organisation whose member produced the original EPC.

However, there are certain exceptions to an EPC. An EPC is not required for places of worship, temporary structures that are not scheduled to be used for more two years, industrial sites, workshops and non-residential agricultural buildings with low energy demand, standalone buildings with a gross internal area of less than 50m2 (such as a garden shed or summerhouse) and buildings that are scheduled to be demolished. If you are aware of these conditions, it becomes easier to avail an EPC.

Sadhana D, Expert Author, Platinum status. Get all your tips related to Landlord Insurance from: Tenant Screening

For more information on EPC: Residential energy performance certificates