Rented
Property Energy Performance Certificates |
EPC
Landlord's
guide for the landlord owning rented property and the role of the energy
inspector. EPC Lettings Energy
performance certificates, and the issue of energy certificates
for rental property. An insight into what an energy assessor does when inspecting
rental property as part of the energy assessment. |
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What is a DEA?
A DEA is a licensed domestic energy
assessor, a person who has undergone specific training in energy performance of
domestic buildings using RdSAP methodology. RdSAP is an acronym for Reduced data Standard Assessment Procedure. This method is used for smaller domestic dwellings whereas full
SAP is applied to new build homes
and SBEM & DSM is applied to
much larger commercial properties, institutions, and social housing. The inspector also produces the
EPC or Energy Performance
Certificate. Domestic Energy
Assessors are used for energy assessment for the majority of homes in
the property
lettings sector. |
The need for home energy certificates is required due to EU legislation the directive for the UK is known as 2002/91/EC.
Certificates can only be issued by a qualified energy assessor or home
inspector.
Property that
is owned by a landlord and is part of their rental property portfolio will
be subject to energy assessment to establish the performance of the
building in a similar way to residential domestic property. The
same basic energy assessment rules apply, and the home inspector or
assessor will survey the dwelling using the same principles for domestic
energy performance assessment. Where Social
Housing is concerned the issue of a EPC is slightly different.
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It
is generally agreed that property in either the social or rented sector
may have lower performance ratings than those property's in the home
residential market. Investment in energy saving measures is on average
lower in this sector. Tenants may take a keener interest in the energy
rating of homes for let, in order to assess the potential energy usage of
such buildings, a higher energy rating, means lower fuel bills.
Owners of rental property can find tips on improving energy ratings,
please refer to Energy Saving Tips
and Advice |
Energy
assessment of these buildings is already underway and the timetable
for the deadline for EPC's has been established.
The
UK Government has already released the inspection programme for housing in
the social sector. UK landlords will need to act swiftly to arrange a
survey of their property for energy performance.
Making EPCs available to prospective tenants
The EPC and recommendation report must be made available free of charge by
the landlord to a prospective tenant at the earliest opportunity and no later than:
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when any written information about the building is provided in response to a request for information received from the prospective buyer; or
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when a viewing is conducted of the rental property; or
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if neither of those occur, before entering into a contract to let the property.
An Energy Performance Certificate
(EPC) does not have to be made available if:
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the landlord
or his/her agent or representative believes that the prospective tenant is unlikely to have sufficient funds to rent the property or is not genuinely interested in renting that type of property; or
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the landlord is unlikely to be prepared to rent out the property to the prospective tenant (although this does not authorise unlawful discrimination)
An
EPC provider can assist in the provision of
energy inspection services and the issue of certificates for rented
accommodation. For landlords who own property that is rented to tenants,
an EPC is required from October 2008 for more information refer to Landlords
EPC See
also Commercial Property Energy Certificates
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Validity
From 1 October 2008, if you are renting out your property, you will need to provide a certificate to any prospective tenant. There is no need to obtain a Energy Performance Certificate for an existing tenancy. Once obtained, a certificate remains valid for up to 10 years. Owners
of rented property are encouraged to obtain Energy
Performance Certificates (EPC)
before this deadline.
If a valid Energy Performance Certificate still exists when changing tenants no new certificate is required. This applies to both private and social sector landlords and tenants. |
Where buildings for mixed use (i.e. combining a dwelling and non-dwelling) is constructed, sold or rented out.
This should be treated as a single dwelling if the commercial part can be converted back to residential use and there is common access i.e. each part does not have a
separate access (for example, where within a house a portion has been separated out as a workshop, office, surgery or other
type of business)
For other cases, treat the dwelling and non-dwelling parts separately using the most appropriate energy rating methodology for each element. For example, if a building contains both flats and offices use
SAP or RdSAP for the flat (i.e. a domestic energy
assessor) and SBEM or
DSM ( i.e. a
commercial energy
assessor) for the offices. A commercial energy assessor is more likely to be qualified to conduct an energy inspection of such a property, as it is possible that the accredited person is already qualified as a
DEA - Domestic Energy
Assessor.
The rented
accommodation energy certificate consists of two ratings:
The SAP Rating:
This rating provides an indication of a
property's energy efficiency. In basic terms this consists of insulation values, heating, and heat loss area. The higher the SAP rating, the lower the fuel costs to heat the home.
The Environmental Rating:
Is an assessment of the
property's impact on the environment, with a computation on how much CO2 (carbon dioxide) the property would produce on average in a year. The lower the rating the more impact it has on the environment.
A typical example of the Energy Performance Certificate can be seen in the image below:
How can I improve the Energy (SAP) rating?
The energy inspector will also provide some recommendations that can help to improve the ratings given in the certificate. These improvement measures vary dependent on the house construction and
type of heating employed in the home. The DEA will be happy to explain them to you when you receive your EPC
. You can find further home energy saving improvements and renewable energy advice by
visiting our page for energy saving tips and advice.
How do I
Get The Report?
This is
usually by arrangement through EPC providers, estate agent or
solicitor, the inspector can send the certificate and report direct to the
property owner by prior arrangement, with a paper copy or via email.
If you
require an energy survey for accommodation in the Nottingham area, please contact us.
If you need
to find a DEA or HI home inspector for
rental accommodation in your local area see below:
Domestic Energy Assessors
Energy
Performance Certificates (EPC)
Domestic Energy Assessors - If
you require a Rented Property EPC
in Nottingham or a Landlords
EPC in Nottingham or Nottinghamshire
please contact us.
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