Incorrect HIP/EPC - discovered after moving in

johnson293

jamestap wrote: »

Two losses I can think of:

1) Annual cost of heating the property which will be greater because I can't insulate it

2) The fact I've paid for something that I haven't got. I thought I'd paid for a house with cavity walls whereas I've bought a house with solid walls which, I believe, are generally considered inferior

Firstly, the saving they show are an assumption based upon a guess at occupancies, and such like. It isn't going to be specific to you and your living arrangements, so how do you put a figure on how much you may/may not save in heating bills?

As stated above, is it clear what the brickwork pattern is (or is it rendered for example), and therefore what the construction should be? You say its a 1930's hosue with solid walls - I had a 1930's house with cavity walls, so its not as clear cut as all houses of that age should/would have one or the other.

As Alan has said before, you should contact the HIP/EPC provider if you think there is a problem and see what explanation they can give.

keith969

EPCs should be taken with a pinch of salt - the one for my house says 'solid floors' when they are actually suspended, it also says the main heating controls are 'programmer and room thermostat' when in fact there is no room thermostat and all the radiators have TPVs. It then goes on to say I can make energy savings by fitting TPVs!!!

jamestap

Milliewilly wrote: »

You will have to work out the increased heating cost minus the cost of cavity wall insulation then decide if its worth pursuing. I would have thought that the wall construction would have been mentioned in your own survey anyway?

The cost of cavity wall insulation is only £99 as my energy supplier do a subsidized deal. I only had a basic valuation done as the house is in immaculate condition so didn't have a survey to read!

Thanks,

James

alanmilstein

If the walls are solid rather than cavity then, of course, you can't put in cavity wall insulation. Solid walls can be insulated either internally or externall, though.

Milliewilly

jamestap wrote: »

The cost of cavity wall insulation is only £99 as my energy supplier do a subsidized deal. I only had a basic valuation done as the house is in immaculate condition so didn't have a survey to read!

Thanks,

James

Basic valuation would normally describe the construction i.e solid or cavity as wall tie corrosion on old houses is a Surveyor's favourite?

johnson293

jamestap wrote: »

I only had a basic valuation done as the house is in immaculate condition so didn't have a survey to read!

While it won't have been an exhaustive survey document, did you not receive a copy of the valuation report as part of your formal mortgage offer?

I did on the house I bought, and it still pointed out the various construction of the main elements, as Millie said.

clutton_2

i have got a solid stone walled house, which is very warm in winter and cool in summer, and yet it is in the bottom category as it is classified as "un-filled cavity walls"!

[Deleted User]

jamestap wrote: »

Hi ,

Two losses I can think of:

1) Annual cost of heating the property which will be greater because I can't insulate it

2) The fact I've paid for something that I haven't got. I thought I'd paid for a house with cavity walls whereas I've bought a house with solid walls which, I believe, are generally considered inferior

I'm not necessarily interested in pursuing a claim because of the costs involved and the risk of failure, but I am interested in people's opinions from a technical perspective.

It's annoying that as a buyer/seller you have to pay for numerous surveys/searches if - as it appears may be the case here - they aren't worth the paper they're written on!

Thanks,

James

I would have thought that the easiest loss to reclaim would be the surveyor's costs as he/she hasn't done their job correctly.

You haven't really suffered any financial loss as a result of this incorrect information, as others have pointed. Would you really have pulled out had this information come to light earlier? Highly unlikely. Whether a wall is solid or has the potential for cavity-wall filling is unlikely to affect my decision as a buyer.

tbs624

alanmilstein wrote: »

.....
As an auditor for one of the accreditation schems I do see a wide range in the ability of assessors to make accurate assessments of building construction. Sadly this is a function of the deregulated nature of the industry and the poor regulations surrounding companies offerring training to energy assessors.

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Homersimpson

I the house rendered outside? If not then its immediately apparant what the type of wall construction is and your surveyor should have picked this up. The going rate for an EPC is £25-50 and so you can see why they aren't that accurate!