There is much to consider when becoming a landlord and we are heading towards another important legislation change for letting property.

What is energy efficiency and how might it affect you?

The government’s goal is to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services.  For example, in the property sector, it can be achieved by insulating your loft or replacing single glazed windows with double glazed.

Currently all properties offered to the letting market must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), once created the document is valid for 10 years. This document tells you how your property performs based on factors such as wall, floor and roof insulation and boiler efficiency. The property is then graded on an A-G scale.

From April 2018 the law is changing and let properties must meet an “E” rating or above – this will be known as the “Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards”. This is just the first alteration in an increasingly strict scale of minimum requirements being rolled out for the letting market over the next 10 years.

Penalties for landlords for non-compliance are severe and range from £1,000 to £4,000 per property!

There are exceptions and many ways in which unlawful renting can be avoided, as well as guidance and measures in place to make sure you can confidently continue to let your property without concern.

As we approach the conclusion of 2017, following a record year in our lettings department, we are working hard for all our landlords to make sure we transition through the new legislation smoothly.

As we are a fully registered ARLA Propertymark Protected letting agent and have completed the very best training with regards to energy efficiency, compliance, exemptions and remedies, we are best placed to advise you.

If you would like to speak to our letting team regarding the upcoming changes, or indeed about any aspect of letting a property please contact us on 01608 653606 or Click to show email