EPCs for BTL (since when?)

IRememberItWell

When did an EPC become mandatory for a new tenancy?
(Whoops … sorry about the glitch in original heading!)

Rodders53

For a Bacon Lettuce and Tomato?

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-private-rented-property-minimum-energy-efficiency-standard-landlord-guidance suggests 5 years ago.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/guides/energy-efficiency/epc-requirements-for-landlords/

and loads more to read from a Google search I did.

Things may be different in different parts  (Wales, Scotland, NI, England)

RedFraggle

2018?
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-private-rented-property-minimum-energy-efficiency-standard-landlord-guidance

IRememberItWell

Many thanks to "Rodders53" and "RedFraggle" for the helpful links.
I see that:
"In the UK, it is unlawful to sell or let a house with an EPC lower than the minimum rating of ‘E’."
Apologies for a 'length-of-a-piece-of-string' question but is "E" pretty dire?
In the case of Victorian terraced houses with gas CH (regularly serviced), double-glazing and one layer of loft insulation, might it be assumed that "F" would be reached?
The tenancies were taken out in 2014 and 2016.
Thanks in advance for comments.
IRIW

theartfullodger

Think the timings and ratings required have happened differently in the 4 countries if this not-united kingdom (.....not my king...)

user1977

Looking up EPCs for similar properties should give you an idea.

MultiFuelBurner

D is the average in England.and Wales. So there are a lot worse and a lot better. 

silvercar

IRememberItWell said:

When did an EPC become mandatory for a new tenancy?
(Whoops … sorry about the glitch in original heading!)

Are you asking when did it become mandatory to have an EPC or when did it become mandatory to have an EPC of at least a E?

The former were around 2007 from memory, the latter about 2018.

BungalowBel

There are proposals to change to EPC 'C' on new tenancies from 2025 and on existing tenancies by 2028  https://www.nrla.org.uk/news/epc-rules-for-rented-property-what-you-need-to-know .

MultiFuelBurner

BungalowBel said:

There are proposals to change to EPC 'C' on new tenancies from 2025 and on existing tenancies by 2028  https://www.nrla.org.uk/news/epc-rules-for-rented-property-what-you-need-to-know .

Hopefully delayed as otherwise the rental market will implode with such regulations as these plus interest rates.

Interesting times but I do expect this to be delayed a year or two or some major funds to dip into.

Grumpy_chap

BungalowBel said:

There are proposals to change to EPC 'C' on new tenancies from 2025 and on existing tenancies by 2028  https://www.nrla.org.uk/news/epc-rules-for-rented-property-what-you-need-to-know .

I had not heard that proposal before reading this thread.
I thought I'd look back at the EPC's for our property and it appears as though the inspectors can be inconsistent:
 - 2009, D
 - 2018 (after we refurbished quite a lot, including new boiler), still D but actually a worse actual score than the 2009.
The new boiler was installed as a high-rated device so that should have made some fairly big improvement compared to the 1970's boiler in place before that.  Nothing showed in the EPC as a gain, though.

The 2018 assessment said to insulate the cavity walls and insulate the solid floor.  Estimate cost £6k (no idea whether that is correct or not) and potential savings £100 per year.

If the property has to reach a "C", who will pay for that?
It makes no sense based on the figures in the report, it would be a 60-year pay-back in cash terms.  No idea what the pay-back would be for embedded energy / carbon versus the on-going impact.

We could well be getting to a similar thing with properties as we have with cars - an equivalent to scrapping a perfectly good car to avoid punitive charges applied.  Perhaps we will get paid money to knock down perfectly good properties and build another in place?

Applying latest standards to existing infrastructure is nonsense.