Agents and their customers are being strongly advised to check the validity of EPCs if they have any doubts about them.
Forged EPCs has been uncovered by Trading Standards, according to the Institute of Domestic Energy Assessors.
Paul Walker, chairman of IDEA, said that a particular company had been prolific in producing EPCs across the UK.
He said checks could easily be made by going to the Landmark database and entering the 20-digit reference number, including the hyphens, of the EPC, to be found on the top right-hand side of page one.
He said: “The result will either not be recognised or show a property address. Check that it is the right property address.”
“If the EPC is not registered or the wrong address is given, I would advise them to contact their local Trading Standards office.”
The warning follows news that a letting and estate agent, Hot Homes UK in Plymouth, is now the subject of a police investigation.
A firm called EPCWorx apparently operated out of the same address although Plymouth Trading Standards have not said whether they are probing this.
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Comments
I actually agree with Dan. They are pointless, no one ever asks for them, and if you have to resort to pointing fingers over them to get an advantage over your rivals... well!
Just because the guy is not an agent does not actually mean he is wrong on this. In my place we get the client to pay for them as a package with floorplans and photos but all the same, they are a joke, everyone knows it.
spot on Ray
I may have this wrong, but here goes......
EPC's - an EU Directive to all governments.
U.K. government - passes legislation for it to become law.
U.K. government (John Prescott?) - 'bolts on' the HIP for its own purposes.
U.K. government - recinds HIP's (because it can, unlike EPC's because even if it wanted to it can't)
So whatever ones opinion, , EPC's are a legal requirement and not to obtain them is an offence..
Here we go again, more crass stupidity from FTB Dan.
So!
Agents who fly board, door knock to tout, falsify EPC's, ignore PMA, disregard EA act, do not put offers forward, hide repo listings, ignore Ombudsman etc. etc, etc. to get their business in front should be ignored by the rest of us as they are just doing their best to improve their own business. Anyone running a legal business but complaining to authorities about unlawful behaviour by law breaking competitors is a worthless snitch (according to FTB Dan).
Guess he learned such values in prison ???
Can anyone find the link on the Landmark website that takes you through the EPC validator?
The most tedious part of any conversation is being patronised by people that are not very bright. SGHI clearly falls into this category.
Our government is responsible for us, and if it voluntary remains a member of a body that makes up needless laws then it is responsible. Furthermore, it is bodies, such as the police and trading standards, that will actually enforce any breach of these pointless laws. Both bodies fall under our national government. And moreover, it is our government that has to pass legislation enforcing any EU agendas. I know full well where EPCs originate, it has been covered on here a million times, but I hold my own government responsible regardless, indeed, I don’t really care to distinguish since they are joined at the hip.
But that is not the really issue, the real issue is that these nasty little burdensome regulations are not actually serving a useful purpose (unless you accept the ‘its all about future tax’ theory). The only thing they do is give officious little pedants like SGHI the opportunity to ‘scotch any competitor’ as he puts it. Sure, eco-fascism has given you a great opportunity to act like a rat and try and get your competitors in trouble for some pointless rule, rather than say... beating your competitor by selling more houses by offering a better service and actually being good at your job.
That’s really the bit I find offensive I suppose. As pressure on the industry intensifies it should be the quality agents who go the extra mile and are actually good at what they do that prosper, not the Blockleiters who go running to the bureaucrats when they sniff out a opportunity to get someone in trouble for something no one anywhere cares about.
EPCs right or wrong is NOT the point.
Governments make laws, we are obliged to observe them not opt out of those we don't like - (Unless of Course you are Belgian or French). People who profit from faking these need to be dealt with.
@SGHI
Actually, FTB Dan is right, but for all the wrong reasons.
The scheme was dreamt up by a member of our government at the time - John Prescott.
Read this Wikipedia article for clarification: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Prescott
However, it is definitely not an eco-fascist bureaucracy, more of a communist nanny state bureaucracy.
KIDDING!
It is important to do.
The government came up with a neat idea - lets get home owners to do it and cover the costs.
And so was born the lie that lead eventually to the HIP.
Don't start ranting now!
@someone
It does affect them, because they are not there.
OK it won't cause errors in the averages produced, but it will cause errors by ommission (rather than emission - hey look at me I just made a funny!)
To: anonymous coward
the fake EPCs discussed here are not on Landmark's database and hence do not affect government figures. They can only deceive homebuyers.
FTB Dan shows his ignorance by clearly not understanding which piece of legislation is behind the EPC...it's a European Directive not home grown!!!
Yawn!...bored with those who spout off without researching the facts.
EPCs are for the government, not the public.
In any (normal) year approx 7% of all properties in the UK change hands.
This means that in 15 years the government has an EPC for every single house in the country - barring the odd 40 year in the same family exceptions which can be statistically accounted for.
This allows the government to work out how good or bad our housing stock is at CO2 emmissions.
That is what they are for primarily.
If at the same time 10% of buyers can be persuaded to improve their property in an energy saving manner, then fantastic!
Which makes the whole fake EPC a big problem for the government, but neither here nor there for the rest of us.
"Mind you own business"
His business is your business, you are both direct comepetitors in the same market sector covering the same patch, and no doubt after the same take ons and prospects...why would you mind your own business??
I would make it my mission to scotch any competitor flouting the law, so long as my ship was in good order.
...I don't understand why you would just mind your own business??
As for fake EPC's, no great surprise there then!
As fees fell in to the dustbin there was only one step further that could be done, and I guess this was it.
I would also comment 'The IDEA' should clearly name and shame on the back of solid proof and not weaken at the knees by comments like "particular".
...and as for the nobody takes any notice bit!
When property carbon taxation kicks in ( inevitable) and peak oil really takes a grip EVERYONE will take notice of EPC's.
We are all just living in la la land at the moment believing price hikes in energy are just a blip and everything will be alright once the economy returns to normal.
The big oil producers having been lying about oil reserves for years to keep their share values high.
Why are so many EA's driving smart cars and Citroen C1's...because they made the choice based on energy demands = running costs.
We should all be talking about future proofing ourselves and helping customers, clients and prospects to do the same...whether you care about the planet or just your bank balance...ignore it all to your cost.
So the government dreams up some pointless eco-fascist bureaucracy, and now that every buyer ignores them as pointless as they are they are begging them to shop agents to the stasi. On top of that agents can shop each other to the stasi to get competitors closed down. All in the name of eco-fascism and job creation loaded onto the taxpayer. Sick.
Big H, whether they are of any use or not, the point is it is not allowed to take someones money (Hard earned no doubt, not matter whether it was £30 or £100) and basically nick it, if they do turn out to be "fake"
Report em and ban em I reckon!
Big H. Why not report your competitor to Trading Standards? If you think they are pointless (which I don't) surely if your competitor has to comply with the same requirements as you it levels the playing field for you? A fine for your competitor would also presumably not be something you would lose any sleep over.
Better still encourage a potential customer of theirs who has not been provided with an EPC to complain to Trading Standards. That way Trading Standards have more power to act.
Are they any use anyway as no one takes a blind bit of notice OF EPC's anyway. One of our Competitors(Wirral Based) does not get one done for their clients till they find a buyer ....when i question them i get told to mind my own business!