EPC Changes Don’t Make Sense

Government Backtrack On Energy Performance Certificates (EPC’s)

Regulation of EPC’s to be relaxed

New regulation of Energy Performance Certification (EPC’s) set to come into effect on 9^th January 2013, and is intended to ease the quagmire of paperwork for estate agents, property management companies, letting agents and landlords when preparing to advertise a vacant property for sale or let. 

Although agents will still have to include EPC details on all property advertising from January 9^th 2013, the requirement to include or attach the front page of the EPC will be dropped.

Furthermore, listed buildings will no longer need to have an EPC at all. 

A statement by CLG minister Don Foster said that agents will not have to attach the front page of the EPC to marketing materials. Listed buildings will also be exempt from needing an EPC unless they are involved in a Green Deal arrangement.

The general understanding is that advertising means newspapers, magazines, online via the internet and all other published property particulars will have to show the property’s rating clearly.

What ministers fail to realise is that EPC’s come in many formats and often legislation may seem like a great thing to do but in the real world technology doesn’t always allow for agents needs.

The statement appears to have taken the whole property industry by surprise.

The official statement says: “The new requirements will be introduced on 9^th January 2013.

The key measures include 

• A requirement for property advertisements to include details of the Energy Performance Certificate rating where available;
• Removal of the requirement to attach the front page of the certificate to any written material;
• Exempting listed buildings from the need to have a certificate on their sale or rent.”

Philip Salaman, of EPC training and accreditation scheme Quidos, thinks the latest statement makes a mockery of the Government’s intention to be the ‘greenest government’ ever, stating: “These changes to the regulations by the DCLG are a backward step. Far from being the greenest government ever, they are proving that cuts to budgets are being followed by cuts to regulations that encourage saving energy. Compliance is very poor already, and this will only make things worse. An EPC provides valid information whether you are in a Georgian home in Bath or a modern build in Milton Keynes, so why remove the requirement for listed buildings to have an EPC?”