Labour's latest EPC idea would be laughable if it weren't so pernicious
I don't know how this escaped me, given how up to speed I am with all things EPC (I always need some good bedtime reading), but I can only think after my last painful and expensive experience where I tried to achieve a grade 'C' and failed, I switched off.
It's the only explanation I can find for how I missed the latest shenanigans when it comes to the EPC proposals for 2030 – they apply to all 'rentals'.
We're not just talking about private rentals now. Nope, these plans are so much wider reaching and damaging than I had ever realised, because the proposal is to also include all holiday lets, temporary accommodation such as immigrant housing and social housing.
Now, you may not know this, but holiday letting and social housing currently do not have to comply with any EPC regulation, so have been spared the burden while the private sector has had to carry it.
Anyway, the good news is that all of these rental sectors are apparently going to be measured by the same metric as the private sector. It's a surprise move given the level of outright discrimination landlords have had to suffer, but I can only surmise Labour wants to spread misery to every corner of the housing market for full impact.
It's also the only reason I can think of – apart from money making – for the fines increasing to £30,000 for non-compliance.
However, while I welcome the equality, I have no idea if Angela Rayner is secretly planning to bring a load of talented tradespeople over to fill the gaping skills gap. Currently, there's no way all rental properties can be retrofitted to meet the 'C' grade standard by 2030.
And anyway, does anybody care to remember that there is still a cost of living crisis going on? I'm not sure where all this extra cash is going to come from. Landlords have been squeezed in recent years and few are likely to have the sort of sums required for upgrades to hand. There are ways to improve your EPC rating, without breaking the bank, but the Government's target is still unrealistic.
But this is all before we even get to the heart of the matter, which is the unreliability of the EPC test in itself.
This has been proven time and time again to be defective – and yet still they persist. To give just one example, electricity is more expensive and so even though only using electricity to heat your home is better for energy efficiency, the expense means you will get a worse EPC score.
Last week Labour unveiled a reformed EPC assessment with more stringent criteria that is more expensive for landlords and could see properties drop a rating. What is it with brick walls and banging your head?
The worst thing is, I feel like a fool. I try to be a good landlord. I try to see what I can do to get to an EPC 'C' because even if I don't like all the noise and stuff going on, I know my tenants appreciate upgrades that make properties cheaper to run, particularly given the Government still hasn't got a handle on the utility bills crisis.
Such is the level of this eco Shakespearean farce that it's little wonder to learn about the lack of enforcement when it comes to EPC certificates.
Since 2020, private landlords have been unable to let a property unless it got an 'E' or was exempt. But – and here's the plot twist: a Freedom of Information request by technology provider Reapit has found only 147 fines were issued between October 2008 and August 2024, and only by Liverpool, Bristol and Newham for non-compliance.
Now, before you start getting all excited, I have to remind you – if you don't have a valid EPC, you'll get fined. But more importantly, for anybody thinking of flouting the law, if you don't have a valid EPC certificate at the start of the tenancy, trying to recover possession will be extremely difficult. Providing a tenant with an EPC is a legal requirement, and if landlords have not done this correctly, they will not be able to use a s21. notice to evict a tenant.
And that, dear reader, is the madness of the world we live in: the tenant may not be paying rent and may well have destroyed your property, but if you haven't got the right EPC and served it on the right day, you can kiss goodbye to what was once yours.
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