Bulb rental?

sooz

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

I think you might find you are wasting your money.

There was a thread on here a few months ago where a LL said a similar thing and how they would remove the bulbs after the EPC had been done ...ha ha. Someone replied something along the lines that the answer to that was nearly as funny, as the EPC was on the light socket and not the bulbs (because they can be removed). Not sure how true that was as I never checked it.

I remember reading that too, but I've just booked it via the NLA. On their website they advise changing the bulbs first, & the EPC company confirmed this. I just need to change the bulbs, not the fittings.

If everyone booking an EPC is advised to do this, I do not want my property to be put at a disadvantage by not doing this.

I can get the ordinary bayonet energy saving bulbs anywhere and everywhere cheaply, but I also need the candle type and the LED replacements for halogen ones. These cost a fortune & look terrible, and the light they give off is awful.

sooz

Chris2685 wrote: »

If you take the bulbs out completely, do you get 100% energy efficient?

Ok - I'll take the assessor round by candlelight

tbs624

sooz wrote: »

Ok - I'll take the assessor round by candlelight

ooh, no Sooz, your candle will give off CO2.........you're just adding to those emissions..;)

sooz

tbs624 wrote: »

ooh, no Sooz, your candle will give off CO2.........you're just adding to those emissions..;)

If I take him round the flat in the dark, it might give him the wrong idea....and I've already paid so I won't get a discount either!

GDB2222

sooz wrote: »

I'm serious!:D

I was :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: over the complete insanity of having an EPC that depends on what type of light bulbs you fit. That's a joke, then telling you about it is just taking the !!!!.

I've got to get some of these lunatic bits of paper, too.

silvercar

The candle type bulbs have an ordinary bayonet socket, so you can put ordinary bayonet energy saving bulbs in them. It will look ugly, but so what if you are taking them out 10 minutes later.

I'v got this vison of a landlord with 20 properties being EPC'd at half hour intervals, grabbing the bulbs from one house as the inspector leaves and racing around to the next to change the bulbs before the inspector arrives!

Microstar_2

My house (residence) has about 12 candle bulbs in the lounge ceiling lights (its a big lounge with four sets of lights). I changed them from incandescent to Energy Saving. Work out the cost saving and its a lot - not to mention that Energy Saving last a lot lot longer than ordinary bulbs. In fact all bulbs in all my properties are now Energy Saving.
You can get Energy Saving bulbs at a good price in bulk from places like CPC, possibly also try Screwfix. I got my candle bulbs at just 59p+VAT each from CPC when they had an offer on.

I think in a couple of years, with energy costs rising very sharply, HIP and EPC data will become much more accepted and prospective buyers/renters will start to look at the information much more carefully and make decisions based on it.

paintpot

I had my first EPC done last week and was in the same situation as you Sooz. I didn't get chance to change the blasted things and was marked down for only have 20% with energy saving bulbs . Every single room in the house has spots or candle bulbs apart from the bedrooms so I'd have needed a total of about 25 light bulbs. I still got a pretty good result overall though :T but I will just have to point out to any prospective tenant in the future that if they wish to change the light bulbs they are very welcome to and the house will instantly become a zillion times more energy efficient.

sooz

silvercar wrote: »

The candle type bulbs have an ordinary bayonet socket, so you can put ordinary bayonet energy saving bulbs in them. It will look ugly, but so what if you are taking them out 10 minutes later.

I'v got this vison of a landlord with 20 properties being EPC'd at half hour intervals, grabbing the bulbs from one house as the inspector leaves and racing around to the next to change the bulbs before the inspector arrives!

At nearly £10 per bulb for the halogen replacement thing I need...damn right!

I can see it being classed as an unfair term if I leave them in the flat, & add to the contract that they have to replace them with the same type of bulb at the end of the tenancy. You can see the tenants complaining on here now..."My evil LL is charging me £250 to replace some bulbs!"

TJ27

Along similar lines, a colleague of mine once inspected several houses owned by the same landlord. When he had visited a few he thought that he recognised some of the marks on the fire doors.

Anyway, he booked an appointment to see the final property about a week later. After he'd finished he said goodbye to the landlord and then did very quick cold calls at all the previous houses. About six of them. None of them had fire doors! The landlord had actually taken all the fire doors from the first house after the inspection and moved them to the second, then the third, etc.

You wouldn't really think that it would be worth his while to do this but I promise you, I know a load of landlords who will do crazy things just to save a few quid or pull the wool. So borrowing bulbs to get a better EPC is just one of the stupid things that some landlords really would consider.