Rules and regulations state that EVERY rented property must have an EPC in place in order to rent out the property, legally. This certificate represents the energy performance of a property. Welcome to Connect UK’s ‘Landlord Academy’ – here to answer all your property questions. An EPC or ‘Energy Performance Certificate’ is a legal requirement when renting out any property in the UK. This certificate is a document which lasts a whole ten years and only requires to be updated, or a new one issued, once the 10 years has expired. The four-page document sets out the energy efficiency of a property on a traffic light system basis from A to G, which A being the most efficient. An EPC provides an indication of how much it will cost to heat and power a property and how much energy is being lost through poor insulation. It also includes recommendations of energy-efficient improvements, the cost of carrying them out, and the potential savings in pounds and pence that each one could generate. This survey must be taken by an accredited domestic energy assessor and a property cannot be rented out if it scores ratings is of E or below. If there are already tenants in the property with an EPC ratings of an F, then the landlord MUST carry out the necessary works, by law, in order to improve the energy efficiency to D or above. These improvements may include one or some of the following:

• Double Glazing
• Loft insulation
• Wall insulation
• A boiler replacement
• Or An efficient secondary heating source

Prices for an EPC vary over the country and will also depend on the size and type of property you have. If you are unsure on whether a property has an EPC you can check online via the EPC register using the property address.

Join the Landlord Academy to receive exclusive ‘How To’ videos directly to your inbox. Subscribe today – it’s free!