Are you worried about mandatory energy efficiency upgrades?

Are you worried about mandatory energy efficiency upgrades?

10:59 AM, 14th March 2022, About 2 years ago 37

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If you are a landlord – are you aware that over the next few years you will need to ensure that your property has an energy efficiency rating of C? This is to help the government meet its climate targets – which has become more important in view of the Ukraine war, rocketing prices, and the need to reduce our energy needs.

At present, the deadline (for upgrading to band C) is 2028 for virtually all rented properties, apart from a few exceptions such as listed properties. So as it takes time for works to be done, and as suitable tradespersons are limited, landlords should start thinking about this now rather than later.

But where do you start?

To help, Landlord Law has published a small ebook with basic guidance and links to help you find grant and other aid.

Contents of the ebook includes:

  • Why Energy Efficiency is important for landlords
  • A plan for making your property more energy-efficient
  • Applying for grants
  • Quick changes you can make
  • Brief guidance on tax breaks and incentives
  • Government benefits and payments
  • Grant schemes including
  • National Schemes and
  • Countywide schemes

Much of the book consists of links out to sites that can help, making this a great place to start on your property upgrade journey.

The ebook is relatively inexpensive at £6 (£5+VAT) and if you are a Landlord Law member you get an automatic discount if you are logged in at the time of purchase!

Find out more and get your copy here.


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Comments

Seething Landlord

19:04 PM, 14th March 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Tessa Shepperson at 14/03/2022 - 18:56
Thank you, I think we are pretty much in agreement.

Mick Roberts

7:39 AM, 15th March 2022, About 2 years ago

It's good people like Tessa keep putting this out there. Needs to be discussed cause tenant's han't got a clue.
The Govt want me to spend 30k on each house that I don't even want any more & am only keeping them for the tenant.

Putting a 10k heat pump outside a terraced house for scrapman to say Yes please.
Underfloor insulation when tenant already living there.

Again more retrospective changes which is gonna' end up really hurting tenant.

My previous notes on this:

Wait till EPC to a C maybe comes in, in 2025, and existing tenants 2028. That's when we gonna see Mega homeless. 2028 is no time at all on existing tenants. I've had tenants 24 years and many tenants over 20 years. This is their homes for maybe life. But for me to spend £30,000 on a house I don't want and am only keeping for them when new laws coming in that could potentially put me in prison if they take batteries out smoke alarm. I've had enough. Is the EPC to C a law? A reg? Anyone know? My houses have got latest combi in, latest composite doors, they wanted electric heating out for years now they want it back in.
Be interesting if anyone could follow the stats on EPC to E enforcement they starting now and see how homeless is going with that. There again the Council Homeless don't actually ring the landlord up to ask why evicting and selling. So the public never know the shock horror just as with Selective Licensing and Universal Credit, the colossal homeless them two cause.

Rob Crawford

9:09 AM, 15th March 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 15/03/2022 - 07:39
The supply of hydrogen fuel to replace gas would probably be your ideal solution but it seems the Government are dragging their feet on this.

Mick Roberts

9:13 AM, 15th March 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Rob Crawford at 15/03/2022 - 09:09
Yes let's hope. I'm having 56 free boilers fitted throughout March this month, paid for by the Govt. Shelf life 10 to 20 years. So let's hope they gonna' sort hydrogen out.

Seething Landlord

9:19 AM, 15th March 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 15/03/2022 - 09:13
I suppose we should be thankful that government are putting our money where their mouth is 😁

LaLo

11:27 AM, 16th March 2022, About 2 years ago

In answer to the problem of tenant eviction/homelessness in order to sell up. The answer is simple - bring in 25 year minimum A.S.Ts - sorted! It wouldn’t surprise me!

Seething Landlord

11:45 AM, 16th March 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by LaLo at 16/03/2022 - 11:27
If S21 is simply repealed, tenancies will be open ended and landlords will only be able to regain possession on the grounds specified in S8, which will hopefully be revised to address some at least of our concerns.

Hedley

12:27 PM, 17th March 2022, About 2 years ago

The rules, software and training regarding assessments need to be better.
As an example, I fully refurbished a terraced stone cottage in 2006, including the digging out of the soil and flagged floors, the installation of damp proofing, insulation and completion with concrete, asphalt and ceramic tiles. The EPC was C. After 10 years and even after a further upgrade to windows, I had a new assessment - it is now D. The assessor was questioned by me as to why it was downgraded and also why the ground floor was assessed as a suspended timber floor (I had sent him the Building Regs. and specification showing the insulated solid floor) and his reply was that, as he couldn't see the insulation and that his software didn't have an appropriate tick box for that type of floor, he chose to assess as timber joist floor.
This situation should not occur.

Reluctant Landlord

13:16 PM, 17th March 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Hedley at 17/03/2022 - 12:27
until the logging/categorisation system is overhauled, this will be an ongoing issue. The trouble is the system needs to be simply categorised so that the majority of data can be captured to allow some general analysis, but at the same time it can't capture the specifics to make it actually give a proper assessment (and show proper benefits that could actually be achieved) on a per property basis.
Which is totally ironic considering the full on hell for leather approach to hold EPC's (and their C Standard) as the way of the government achieving total Enviro credibility!

Helen Smitj

9:32 AM, 19th March 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Mick Roberts at 15/03/2022 - 09:13
What/which grant scheme are you accessing for free boilers? Thanks

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