EPCs for rental properties are being ignored

The National Landlords Association (NLA), the UK's leading representative body for private-residential landlords, has said landlords calling its Advice Line are questioning the need for energy performance certificates (EPC) as tenants are ignoring the information they contain.

By law, most tenancies in England and Wales which began on or after October 1 2008 are required to have an EPC. This details the energy efficiency of a property, giving a standard energy and carbon emission efficiency grade from ‘A' to ‘G', with ‘A' as the most efficient.

However, EPCs are often at the bottom of tenants' lists of requirements, if there at all. Many tenants are unaware of the law, and even if a property receives a low grade, it does not seem to affect whether a tenant will want to live in a property. Given that the average efficiency grade is 'D', at the lower end of the scale, it seems that EPCs have a limited influence on a tenant's choice of property.

An EPC is valid for 10 years. Landlords do not have to register a new EPC each time a new tenancy starts but they are required to give a copy of the EPC to new tenants. The NLA offers NLA EPC to members for only £69 (including VAT) per certificate.

Sussanne Chambers, a director of the NLA, commenting about this latest NLA Advice Line feedback, said: "It seems many landlords are left wondering about the effectiveness of an EPC. What has become apparent is that tenants don't seem to be interested in them, or use them as a deciding factor in choosing a rental property. As always, it is the responsible landlords who have commissioned EPCs and for whom they are now part and parcel of their lettings business."