The Government department for Communities and Local Government has now clarified the ‘key partners’ it informed over the latest changes to EPCs.
Earlier this week, we reported – in line with what we had originally been told – that only NFoPP and marketing group the INEA had been told, with the hope that they would brief their own members.
However, yesterday evening CLG issued EAT with a longer list of 59 names. Again, this includes NFoPP and the INEA.
The remaining 57 names include Which? and Consumer Focus, Rightmove (but not Zoopla), the Association of Residential Managing Agents (but not NALS), various energy firms such as the Heating & Ventilation Certification Associates, the Law Society, government departments, the Trading Standards Institute and, for some reason, the London Borough of Croydon.
Both sets of property ombudsman services are also on the list, which includes no press and none of the major estate agency chains.
The Property Ombudsman has also contacted EAT to say that it tried its utmost to disseminate accurate and timely information to all its members on January 4.
Chief operating officer Gerry Fitzjohn says his team asked DCLG for guidance before Christmas and then tried to check its accuracy over the holiday break before receiving confirmation on January 3.
“I realised there was likely to be a problem, with news of the changes coming as many senior agency staff were heading off on holiday and DCLG was shutting down for Christmas, too,” explained Fitzjohn.
“Our PR made contact through the DCLG press office and when we thought the information remained unclear we asked for immediate confirmation, but this was not forthcoming until January 3.
“In the meantime, we prepared a newsletter and as soon as we had confirmation every TPO member received it. The message therefore reached probably 95% of sales agents’ offices and two thirds of lettings agents’ branches in the UK plus more than 1,000 commercial agency outlets.
“TPO tries to fulfil a wider role than its main function of disputes resolution, taking an active part in raising professional standards and issuing advice to agents on good practice whenever we can.”
The advice from TPO is in line with what EAT and LAT have been giving out – ie, there is no longer any need to attach the front page of the EPC to particulars, but that the actual energy rating should be on shown on both particulars and all advertisements, including press releases and internet listings.
However, it is still baffling to try to get to grips with the official advice that the graph should be shown where space allows. The advice that an EPC is not required for a listed building if compliance with energy efficiency requirements would ‘unacceptably alter character or appearance’ also falls well short of clarity, in our view.
Here’s how we reported the situation on Monday:
https://www.estateagenttoday.co.uk/oldeat_news_features/Have-agents-been-sufficently-briefed-over-EPC-changes
Comments
@linniR
No interest at all in any form of listed building for any of my clients so not omitted as such, more totally ignored!!
But I take your point - my posting was based on a circular sent to my clients!!
clear advice from IO, thanks.
Just one thing though, you did miss out the possible exemption for listed buildings. As EAT said, their guidance about not needing one if it would 'unacceptably alter character or appearance' is particularly unclear.
Some are taking this to mean that listed buildings are all exempt, but that's really not what the guidance says; they are only exempt if complying with the requirement would 'unacceptably alter character or appearance'.
How on earth the possession of an EPC would 'unacceptably alter character or appearance' is beyond me - so probably, they are not exempt at all.
Safer to just get one, perhaps?
The most important 'Key partner' is actually the great British public who are utterly ill informed.
HMO licensing resulted in masses of press advertising advising of rights and sanctions.
EPC's have a similar PR exposure as the membership list of the Illuminati.
As posted elsewhere this is all you have to do. Follow this idiot’s guide to handling EPCs operationally and correctly and you'll be on safe ground even if some of the necessary steps are a nuisance.
1. Commission an EPC the second you are instructed to market a property that does not already have one.
2. Be ready and equipped to show it to any prospective tenant in any format they are prepared to see it, electronically if they are happy that way. If not then you must show them the whole hard copy, but you do not have to give them a copy
3. Make sure at least the EPC rating but also the numerical value rating figure appear in all adverts. The guidelines published by CLG and ARLA (and probably others) only bang on about the letter A-G but the Regs i.e. the LAW requires the actual numerical rating as well
4. Give hard copy to the eventual tenant they are the only person entitled to one to keep. Get confirmation from them they have received it (I’d refer to it as attached to the inventory so they unwittingly sign for it)
Happy EPC commissioning!!