Who needs one? Every previously lived in house on the open market will require an EPC after 30th June, 2008 (New builds are assessed at the design stage).
Who is responsible to get it? The homeowner is responsible to ensure that an EPC is available; Estate Agents are encouraged to ensure that all properties on their books comply but all Solicitors will insist on a valid EPC being available prior to the completion on a property sale.
How long is it valid for? Currently it will remain valid for 5 years.
When do I need to get one? The legal requirement is that if a property is placed on the market the first potential buyer should be in a position to see an EPC order as soon as they are introduced to the property.
How long will it take to get? The initial inspection of you home should take somewhere in the region of 1 hour and your EPC should be available in 1-2 days.
How can I improve the rating of my house?
Firstly the surveyor inspecting your house cannot cause any disruption to your property; therefore it is a good idea to make as much information available as possible. For example - if you have loft insulation, make sure that the loft can be accessed to include it in the calculation, otherwise, the software will assume a level of insulation which may be less than you have installed. Also why not fit low energy light bulbs where possible in main rooms, (it’s going to save you money in the meantime). If you have had any work carried out on your home try to provide completion certificates or guarantees, these will prove when the work was carried out and to what standard.
How much will it cost? The price will depend on the size of the property as it will take longer to compile the information for larger homes. At ecertni we are committed to providing value for money whilst maintaining a high level of service. Our prices start from £79 all in.
What if my home gets a bad rating? If we access your home it will get a rating and a list of suggested actions which will improve your energy rating. If you decide to implement some or any of those actions and it is likely to alter the band which your property falls into, we will carry out a repeat assessment at half price.
Maybe I will just leave it to see whether or not my house sells? In the short term there will be houses on the market without a valid EPC, due to the logistics of an introduction which covers properties already on the market. However it is important that you get your EPC early as a potential buyer could use a poor EPC to justify reducing their offer in the current climate.
Why use ecertni? At ecertni we only use assessors who have trained to the highest level and have previous experience in the sector and this ensures a high level of back-round knowledge and a professional approach. We only take orders from the homeowner and so we can avoid paying commissions to third parties. This saving can be passed on to you.
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