The changes to the EPC are coming. Before the new tax year starts in April, all properties must fulfil a minimum of a G rating for energy compliance. This is a short amount of time although there has been a lot of information available throughout 2017. To help you become fully acquainted with the new rules, a major energy performance specialist is offering courses to help landlords like you comply. The government department responsible for policy has also made available documents to help you understand your new obligations.
Elmhurst Energy’s Courses
The organisation took the step to help property owners tackle problems where they have attempted to comply with their obligations but are still experiencing problems. It also shows owners where there are exemptions to the new EPC rules. Other organisations are expected to follow suit as the deadline draws closer. Have you been unable to apply for, or been refused, funding to help you cover the charges associated with making the relevant and legal improvements? These courses teach you what you can do.
At present, around 25% of residential properties will be non-compliant come April 2018 but most have made headway throughout 2016 and 2017. More needs to be done to help reduce bills for tenants and reduce unnecessary energy consumption.
Although existing tenancies are not required to comply before April 2020 (all new tenancies must be regulation-ready by April 2018), landlords are being advised now to implement improvements.
Government Advice and Documentation
Landlords are not required to study any course to help them comply, from this leading organisation or anybody else. The government is offering a wealth of information and advice to enable compliance. The 99-page document on new EPC compliance is here, but it can be summed up in the following bullet points.
- Regulation scope, including the legally required steps to determine whether the new regulations apply. Landlords of student HMOs are certainly required to comply
- Steps you must take to ensure compliance with the new regulations
- Improvements and how to identify problems areas in your property to comply with energy efficiency
- How a property owner may look into the availability of funding at no cost to cover ways of improving their residential property
- Lists of property exemptions which typically includes listed and protected buildings
- The enforcement steps that authorities can and may take to ensure and enforce compliance with non-compliant property owners
- The appeals process for those wishing to pursue legal recourse when authorities determine he or she is non-compliant
There is an enormous wealth of information available to landlords as we head towards April. If the EPC rating on your property is not already a Grade E or above, you should act now.