Concerns mount as EPC debacle rumbles on

Landmark, the privately owned firm which operates the national EPC Register, has told agents that it was never asked by the Government to develop a system that would give agents access to the single page of an EPC.

The firm, which is owned by the Daily Mail, said that it was simply asked to develop ‘an electronic solution that would allow the EPC to be attached to on-line property details’.

However, the actual legal requirement specified by the Communities and Local Government department is only for the front page of the EPC to be attached.

The full statement from Landmark – given to agents who have been complaining about lack of access to the ‘unlocked’ PDFs of the EPCs – will also not soothe agents who are up in arms about the inability to redact the address of the property from the EPC.

One agent, Terry Holmes, of Beresfords in Essex, said that he was extremely concerned.

He said: “This is Christmas come early for criminals.
 
“Instead of having to drive around an area to earmark potential victims, especially vulnerable people such those that are single and elderly, they can do their research as buyers do, online. They’ll just be able to look at property details and list those that appear to fit the bill, bungalows and retirement properties especially.
 
“They won’t need to use the ‘I notice that you’ve lost a few slates…’ opening gambit, just ‘I’ve got your property details and wanted to view but the agent hasn’t rung me back. I was just passing…’”
 
Holmes said he found it ‘bizarre’ that the address can be redacted from commercial EPCs but not residential ones.

CLG were invited to comment on Landmark's statement, which reads as follows:

“At the request of property agents, DCLG and Landmark were asked to develop an electronic solution that would allow the EPC to be attached to on-line property details. This service was implemented as requested on 2 April.

“This service also allows for the commercial EPC to be provided with the address redacted where the address has also been omitted from the written particulars. Both options also allow the printing of the first page of the EPC for attaching in hard copy written particulars. Providing the document electronically in this way would ensure that the most up to date EPC was retrieved directly from the Register.

“No request was made to provide any other service, which included the policy decision (following discussions with representatives of property organisations) not to allow the address to be redacted from domestic EPCs.

“It has only recently been brought to DCLG’s attention that Energy Assessor Accreditation Schemes, energy assessors and others have, in the past, provided EPCs to clients in other formats.

“These services were provided without the prior knowledge of DCLG or the Register Operator and have only been made aware of these additional services at the eleventh hour, when implementation of the Property Agents Retrieval Service was almost complete.

“Since summer 2011, Accreditation Schemes have been aware that it would be more difficult, now that the PDF is generated by the EPC Register, for the EPC to be edited to avoid deliberate abuse. This was not raised as an issue at the time nor did Accreditation Schemes raise this as an issue when these changes to the PDF generation process were made available to Accreditation Schemes for testing in late 2011.

“Several instances of fraudulent EPCs have been brought to DCLG’s attention and the security levels and the PDF format of the EPC currently in operation is an attempt to respond to these concerns. Producing EPCs in alternative formats, such as JPEG, would effectively reduce security of the PDF certificate and potentially increase the likelihood of fraudulent or address-redacted copies where they are not permitted.

“DCLG could consider the option of adding more services directly from the Register, perhaps this is one (with reference to providing the 1st page of a Domestic EPC). How to implement this process will, however, need to be the subject of further discussion and will not happen immediately, nor would we be able to relax the security of the PDF.”

Estate agent Nick Salmon said: “The statement from Landmark points to a failing by CLG to properly consider the practicalities of the changes to the EPC Regulations, and as a result many estate agents will have been frustrated in their efforts to comply.

“It is disappointing to observe that CLG appears just as ignorant of the estate agency industry today as it was when attempting to force the doomed HIPs legislation upon us.”

Agents – and their clients – who are concerned about addresses appearing in EPCs can sign a petition demanding that this requirement be dropped.

It is at: https://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/32469