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Students given wrong EPC information

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jow4396
jow4396 Posts: 15 Forumite
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edited 4 October 2017 at 5:49PM in House buying, renting & selling
Hi, I wonder if anyone can offer some advice please. My son and his girlfriend are in their second year at Uni together and moved into a flat at the beginning of July, having viewed it and put down a deposit in November last year. They were advised at the time of viewing it that the property had an EPC rating of B (which they got in writing). They literally moved their things in, then came home for the summer. Whilst at home with me, they received their first electric bill of £40 which they queried with NPower as they couldn't understand why it was so high when the property was empty. They confirmed the meter reading was correct. Upon then phoning the agent, they were advised that the property actually had an EPC rating of G. They returned to the flat on 21 September and received another bill the following week for £80! They have spoken and written to the agent regarding this issue (it turns out the landlord also owns the letting agency) and they were informed that as a goodwill gesture they could terminate their tenancy agreement immediately. This is simply not a viable option when they had to reserve the property early on due to a shortage of property in the area, they have spent money using a man and van to move there in the first place and they have also now started back at Uni. They are literally frightened to put the heating on because of the prospect of even higher bills, and that's without the winter months! Do they have any redress at all and if so, what could this be? Thank you
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  • G_M
    G_M Posts: 51,977 Forumite
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    The LL had a legal obligation to provide an EPC at or before the start of the tenancy. Did he?

    If their tenancy started at the start of the summer, and no one was living there, why did they have the heating on? seems strange. Indeed, if even if there, where is this? I've had my heating off all summer.

    Are these bills monthly? Quarterly?
    How large is the property /how many tenants?
    What tariff are they on and have they shopped around for a cheaper tariff?
  • jow4396
    jow4396 Posts: 15 Forumite
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    No, they were not given a copy of the EP :/. I didn't say the heating was on all summer �� They are NOW frightened to put the heating on, as a result of the ridiculous bills when it wasn't on. The bills are monthly, there are 2 of them in a 1 bed flat. They used a comparison tool to get the best tariff
  • saajan_12
    saajan_12 Posts: 3,621 Forumite
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    If the property was empty and no heating / appliances were on, then the usage should be zero, regardless of the insulation / energy performance. Re-read the bills:
    - do they suggest an increase in readings between the start of the agreeement and now?
    - Is the bill based on an estimated start / current reading?
    - Is the £40 for daily standing charges?
  • glasgowdan
    glasgowdan Posts: 2,967 Forumite
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    Is there gas for water/heating?
  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
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    Have you actually bothered to check the EPC?
    https://www.epcregister.com/reportSearchAddressTerms.html?redirect=reportSearchAddressByPostcode

    I'm no great believer in the accuracy of EPCs, but there's a HUGE difference between a property that's realistically a B (very energy efficient) and one that's realistically a G (wind howling through it). Anybody with quarter of a gram of common sense will twig within seconds of walking in the door.

    An electricity bill of £40 for an EMPTY property in the summer, with the heating off is also nothing whatsoever to do with how well insulated the property is or isn't.
  • seashore22
    seashore22 Posts: 1,443 Forumite
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    AdrianC wrote: »

    I'm no great believer in the accuracy of EPCs, but there's a HUGE difference between a property that's realistically a B (very energy efficient) and one that's realistically a G (wind howling through it). Anybody with quarter of a gram of common sense will twig within seconds of walking in the door.

    I was going to say exactly this. To a large extent you only have to look at a property to know that it's more likely to be a G rather than a B. Is it a purpose built flat or a converted period property? I assume it's the latter.
  • bob_bank_spanker
    bob_bank_spanker Posts: 559 Forumite
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    £40 for 3 months standing charges really is not a lot.
  • eddddy
    eddddy Posts: 16,441 Forumite
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    This doesn't sound like an EPC related problem.

    It sounds more like something(s) was left switch on whilst the house was empty through the summer.

    Maybe the hot water immersion heater, or a room heater (plus perhaps the fridge, freezer, some lights, etc).

    Maybe the bill would have been lower if the hot water tank had better insulation and/or the bulbs were low energy - but that's not the real problem. The real problem is that they were probably left switched on.
  • Car1980
    Car1980 Posts: 301 Forumite
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    Do they access to the meter themselves? Who is providing these readings?
  • nPower
    nPower Posts: 1,319 Organisation Representative
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    jow4396 wrote: »
    Hi, I wonder if anyone can offer some advice please. My son and his girlfriend are in their second year at Uni together and moved into a flat at the beginning of July, having viewed it and put down a deposit in November last year. They were advised at the time of viewing it that the property had an EPC rating of B (which they got in writing). They literally moved their things in, then came home for the summer. Whilst at home with me, they received their first electric bill of £40 which they queried with NPower as they couldn't understand why it was so high when the property was empty. They confirmed the meter reading was correct. Upon then phoning the agent, they were advised that the property actually had an EPC rating of G. They returned to the flat on 21 September and received another bill the following week for £80! They have spoken and written to the agent regarding this issue (it turns out the landlord also owns the letting agency) and they were informed that as a goodwill gesture they could terminate their tenancy agreement immediately. This is simply not a viable option when they had to reserve the property early on due to a shortage of property in the area, they have spent money using a man and van to move there in the first place and they have also now started back at Uni. They are literally frightened to put the heating on because of the prospect of even higher bills, and that's without the winter months! Do they have any redress at all and if so, what could this be? Thank you




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