Property market faces energy-efficiency ticking timebomb: Two-thirds of UK homes will be unsellable

rudigarude

A very sensationalist title. If they actually enact this, the quality of an EPC report and the huge amount of "assumed" points on it will be very important.
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/article-9080199/Is-property-market-facing-ticking-time-bomb.html

tacpot12

I agree. The cost of properly insulating a small Victorian terraced house might run to £30K, and to £50K for a three-bedroom 1930's semi. Most buyer's don't have the capital to do this, and neither do the sellers. It's a problem I've been wrestling with regarding our Victorian townhouse. 

The answer could be a low interest loan (with no affordability requirements or requirement to repay before the property is sold) secured on the property that is available to any purchaser on condition that the work is completed before they move in, or to any seller on condition the work is started promptly.  

rudigarude

I've just looked at the EPC reports on my street, 1940s semi's, all identical with the exception of conservatories. The variation in the reports is just massive. The "potentials" are all over the place and the amount of "assumption" is massive.  I think that's the thing that bothers me the most is that for years the EPC report is pretty much ignored, but if it's going to be used in such a way then it had better be accurate. 

FreeBear

Looking at a couple of sample EPCs for properties in my neighbourhood, one has a current rating of E with a potential for a D rating - Still wouldn't meet with the target of C. Insulating only gives a 2 point gain, and the rest of the extra points are from changing to a more modern gas boiler (4 points), solar water heating (1 point), and 10 points for a PV array.

Quite how one would achieve the extra points to get to a C rating is beyond me unless they fudge the numbers for insulation.

Then there are all the listed properties around the country, many (all ?) exempt from the EPC requirement...