EPC rating and leagal rights around it

manan.shah.82

Hello,

Couple of years ago we bought 1905 3 bed semi detached house and at that point EPC raying was 57 (at least certificate says so). Recently we started thinking about solid wall insulation and one of the provider did infidel check for EPC and said current rating is 39 .

We have done only few changes,
1. Damp treatment (rising damp) on the ground floor
2. Replace carpet with laminated floor in living and dining room (we used thickest underlay B&Q had)
3. Replaced all the standard lights with energy savers.

Can above changes reduce the EPC from 57 to 39?
I'll get another EPC done anyway but is it possible that seller, agency or assessor made a mistake in the EPC which was issued when we bought a house? If so do we have any legal right for this?

Thank you

Crinkmeister

Why are you bothering with EPC? Most people don't take any notice of it.

browneyedbazzi

Crinkmeister wrote: »

Why are you bothering with EPC? Most people don't take any notice of it.

Great advice. (there needs to be a sarcasm emoticon)

Should we all just blindly do what 'most people' do? Like not bother reading any terms and conditions when we agree a contract and get stung later?

OP - I don't know a huge amount about how EPCs are done, but from what I've seen there is a degree of subjectivity involved and also of the assessors making assumptions about the property. For example if you have a house built in the 1930s they'll assume it's all brick solid wall construction inside and out. They don't actually 'test' the performance of the building. The difference in the two ratings could be down to a change in how the assessments are carried out/the assumptions made or the subjective opinions of different assessors.

There's more information about EPCs on the epc register website - you might find that helful.

captainhindsight_2

Hi from what you have said it should not make a difference at all, the only thing you've done that could change the rating is the lightbulbs. But this would have very little or no affect on the rating.

If you have solid walls and no insulation, it should recommend solid wall insulation. I am guessing you are looking to get the £6000 cashback?

On the epc it should say the individuals contact details who did the report, if you contact them and ask them for more information hopefully they will be able to help you.

And a comment to Crinkmeister, its important because its the difference between getting upto £7600 cashback for doing work that is recommended on the epc or not. And the epc controls whether or not you can get feed in tariff payments, getting rhi payments, getting £1000s in eco grants.

So it can add up to a lot of money lost if its not done right.

DaftyDuck

I believe they are forever changing the grading criteria on EPCs, meaning you can compare two current EPCs, but not a change with time. Mind you, 2 years isn't long, so it may well not be the explanation here. Certainly, what you've done shouldn't change it much, and the only real change is the light bulbs, which should boost the EPC.

I doubt there's any viable legal recourse if the old EPC was incorrect.

Are you sure you aren't mixing the "current" values with the "potential" values?

andrewf75

Crinkmeister wrote: »

Why are you bothering with EPC? Most people don't take any notice of it.

Perfectly sums up the attitude in this country and the reason houses are so poorly insulated compared to other countries!

Crinkmeister

Most people come across EPC when they sell or let property. The point then is that the property has already been built and so any EPC is "after the event" and of limited value unless major shortfalls are identified. It's Building Regs which define how new builds must be constructed and that includes insulation - and I am all for that. But I do object to having to pay for an EPC when I want to let or sell a property, even if one was only done a few years before.

captainhindsight_2

Crinkmeister wrote: »

Most people come across EPC when they sell or let property. The point then is that the property has already been built and so any EPC is "after the event" and of limited value unless major shortfalls are identified. It's Building Regs which define how new builds must be constructed and that includes insulation - and I am all for that. But I do object to having to pay for an EPC when I want to let or sell a property, even if one was only done a few years before.

The point is it gives people benchmark to compare properties on there energy performance and the costs of occupation as it is important for many people to keep there bills down as much as possible.

It can also make some properties more appealing than others, so two similar houses ready to move into one with significantly lower occupation costs than another the buyer/renter is probably going to choose the one with lower occupation costs.

On the other side is, if i'm looking for a house to do up I would choose a house that has loads of recommendations on the epc with stuff i can get for free or loads of cashback for. For example if the epc shows a recommendation for internal wall insulation I could dryline and re plaster the whole inside of my house and get £6000 cashback for it.

Seems a no brainier, and definitely worth looking at and taking into consideration when buying or renting a property.

Crinkmeister

captainhindsight wrote: »

For example if the epc shows a recommendation for internal wall insulation I could dryline and re plaster the whole inside of my house and get £6000 cashback for it.

Seems a no brainier, and definitely worth looking at and taking into consideration when buying or renting a property.

Now that makes sense!

lstar337

captainhindsight wrote: »

The point is it gives people benchmark to compare properties on there energy performance and the costs of occupation as it is important for many people to keep there bills down as much as possible.

Very true.

Using myself as an example, I was living in a run-down old 2 bed flat which was full of damp, had terrible heating systems, awful windows and was basically a hole! I only stayed because it was cheap to rent.

Now I am living in a brand new build 3 bedroom terrace house, and the main reason I knew it was affordable was because of the EPC. The new house is rated A (Flat was E), and I save so much on Gas and electric that even with a £200+/month rent increase I am still better off in this house.

The EPC listed all the things I wanted to know before moving in, and gave a good idea of future costs.

Without being able to do the comparison, I would never have moved to this house because I would have deemed the rent too expensive.

The EPC was essential to me.

As a side note, I never saw an EPC for the crummy 2 bed flat when I took the tenancy (didn't know about them). I only found out how poor the place was when I got my own assessment done for GD measures (which I also didn't bother with).

MX5huggy

Crinkmeister wrote: »

But I do object to having to pay for an EPC when I want to let or sell a property, even if one was only done a few years before.

An EPC is valid for 10 years so you never have had to get a new one (as they have not been running for 10 years yet).

https://www.gov.uk/buy-sell-your-home/energy-performance-certificates