HIPS on rented property coming in October

tbs624

beingjdc wrote: »

Wish we'd had one. It would have flagged up the inefficient electric convection heaters that the letting agent called storage heaters, and the power-hungry immersion heater that has no timer switch.

You really don't need an EPC to know that electric room heaters & immersion heaters are expensive to run.

So much of this type of bureaucracy is a waste of time and money. The main beneficiaries are those who have "trained" as EPC compilers in exchange for a couple of thousand quid.

So much of it is common sense as people have pointed out on these boards time and time again, and generally LL can & will just tag the costs onto the rents over a period of time.

If a tenant has a choice of a flat that is lower rated for energy efficiency but is the right size, well maintained & handy for work etc it is still going to get let before one that has a high score but has a dodgy colour scheme, not enough room for a widscreen TV and is further away from work, friends etc.a

Still the EPC charts have pretty coloured bars on them & can look quite attractive.....

rach83

Who will be liable for the cost of the EPC though. The prospective tenant or the landlord? Im sure most landlords will find a way of recouping the cost no doubt through higher rent/deposit.

beingjdc

tbs624 wrote: »

You really don't need an EPC to know that electric room heaters & immersion heaters are expensive to run.

No, but you don't necessarily check for things like what kind of plug something is attached to when you're viewing a property for rent, and when the LA says something is a storage heater you might be naive enough to believe them rather than asking to try it out.

tbs624

bing0 wrote: »

I kind of agree,but it may save lives what with co2 poisoning for example.Any inspection has to be a good thing,and if it has to be carried out,then all the better.

Are you confusing Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions with Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning, which is usually dealt with by regular gas safety checks and annual gas safety certification?

EPC "inspections" have nowt to do with this, they are supposed to address only the Carbon dioxide emissions, ie the “greenhouse gases” that are not directly injurious to human health.

bing0

tbs624 wrote: »

You really don't need an EPC to know that electric room heaters & immersion heaters are expensive to run.

So much of this type of bureaucracy is a waste of time and money. They main beneficiaries are those who have "trained" as EPC compilers in exchange for a couple of thousand quid.

So much of it is common sense as people have pointed out on these boards time and time again, and generally LL can & will just tag the costs onto the rents over a period of time.

If a tenant has a choice of a flat that is lower rated for energy efficiency but is the right size, well maintained & handy for work etc it is still going to get let before one that has a high score but has a dodgy colour scheme, not enough room for a widscreen TV and is further away from work, friends etc.a

Still the EPC charts have pretty coloured bars on them & can look quite attractive.....

Here in Dorset,many trained energy assessors are charging £40.00 (down from £100.00) for their part of the HIP....the last thing any of them are doing is gaining from the situaion....just thought I'd mention that !

tbs624

rach83 wrote: »

Who will be liable for the cost of the EPC though. The prospective tenant or the landlord? Im sure most landlords will find a way of recouping the cost no doubt through higher rent/deposit.

The LL has to pay for it but will undoubtedly cost it in, so the tenants will end up footing the bill as has already been mentioned.

Frugaldom

Oh, it stands for Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and Home Information Pack (HIP). I had to Google them to find out - duh! :rotfl:(I knew it couldn't be anything to do with earnings per click or electronic pricing though! )
Am I to assume this is just English legislation or does it involve everyone else as well?

sooz

4th Jan 2009 for Scotland

tbs624

beingjdc wrote: »

.... when the LA says something is a storage heater you might be naive enough to believe them rather than asking to try it out.

I understand your point but IMO any tenant (or indeed client LL) who believes what a Letting Agent tells them about anything is indeed naive. You only have to read the threads on here on the subject of LA misdemeanors to get a small indication of the talent for deception amongst some of them: they are often untrained, unqualified and totally lacking in any common sense or knowledge of their own legal obligations.

Tenants need to draw up a checklist of what they want to know (there's a good sticky on the subject on here started by JoeA81) and make sure they get proper answers to their queries, preferably confirmed in writing.

The EPC is really not going to prove to be a big help to the vast majority of tenants.

sooz

beingjdc wrote: »

No, but you don't necessarily check for things like what kind of plug something is attached to when you're viewing a property for rent, and when the LA says something is a storage heater you might be naive enough to believe them rather than asking to try it out.

Even when he said storage heater, you should have run screaming . They still use electricity, but store it badly, and never produce enough heat when you need them. Plus, you need to be psychic to work out if you will be cold tomorrow.