Energy Performance Certificates for Landlords - a Legal Requirement From October 1, 2008

From October 1, 2008, unless the government listens to landlords and industry professionals in the UK (and scraps the plan), it will be illegal to market a property to let without an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

EPCs are already mandatory for sales property, although in common with estate agents across London, of the thousands of buyers we deal with, and the tens of thousands of pounds spent by vendors compelled to commission them, only three people have ever asked our sales team to see one.

An EPC tells prospective buyers, and from October 1, 2008, tenants, how energy efficient a home is on a scale of A to G. It also "measures" how environmentally friendly it is with regard to CO2 emmissions. A is the most efficient on both counts.

Due to its design and age, virtually all London property falls in to category D or E and is likely to remain within that banding. It's still unclear what use the EPC will serve to landlords and tenants other than giving common-sense advice to home-owners on how to make their property more energy efficient.

Because of the enormous volume of flats and houses in London let and managed through Chard, we're negotiating with a number of EPC providers for a more competitive rate for our landlords. Nevetheless it's unlikely to cost landlords of typical two bedroom flats less than £100. Presumably this cost will be passed indirectly along the "food chain" to tenants.