Shock, horror and hold the front page! Which? has discovered that EPCs do not matter to almost all buyers and tenants.
The consumer champion has found, much to its consternation, that EPCs are being ignored by 80% of buyers and tenants.
Buyers, it seems, don’t act on any of the recommendations on how to improve their new home’s energy efficiency or cut heating bills. And tenants? It seems they couldn’t care less.
Tut, tut and thrice tut.
Apparently, a mere 18% of those questioned by government consumer body Consumer Focus said that seeing an EPC had influenced their decision to buy or rent a particular property – despite one in seven claiming energy efficiency was top (after price and size) of their property ‘wish list’.
Which? energy expert Sylvia Baron said of Consumer Focus's report, called Room for Improvement: “It’s disappointing that EPCs appear to be falling short of their potential as a tailored source of energy-saving advice.”
The study found that only 44% of buyers and renters since October 2008 actually saw an EPC before signing a tenancy agreement or committing to buy.
Here at EAT, we think this ground-breaking shocker of a story must be closely related to the headline news that the BBC ‘learned’ at the weekend that there are some naughty firms out there selling plots of land which will never get planning permission.
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Comments
I am not against EPCs, that's always been clear. Thousands are though and I fully appreciate their points.
Chris, if your comments have any substance, that is just classic of this country - let's blackmail our people into liking something.
In fact, people will hate them more at this new attempt to generate extra money after yet another set of goalposts have been moved!
This is probably next on the agenda to the increase in alcohol prices for ALL because we can't control binge drinking and anti-social behaviour of the minority.
No one cares about them NOW ....... but they will when EPC's are linked to council tax!!!
On the horrizon is a day where inefficient housing will attract a higher council tax bill, with a slight reduction for efficient housing. We are a few years away yet as not enough property has yet been measured, but the day we care about our EPC's is coming!
Like everything that professional politicians do (as opposed to politicians who go into politics after a career doing a REAL job) - the EPC legislation (and the HIPS legislation) was a complete load of utter nonsense.
They were told by EVERYONE that no-one was interested but, as always, career politicians know best.
When you buy a house you look at the area, the street, the neighbourhood, the house, the number of rooms, the garden, the parking, the schools, the shops ... and, when you finally find one you'd like to buy you couldn't give a stuff if it has a low EPC. What are you going to do - walk away from the one house in a hundred that you actually want to buy?
We should change the rules regarding politicians now so that anyone whose only experience is working for a political party would be banned. Goodbye then to hundreds of professional politicians.
Mr Holmes. Legally an agent must show the graph on the sales particulars (once obtained within 28 days of initial marketing). The agent does not have to produce the full EPC document with every set of particulars, just on request. In our office that's about once every 8-10 months!! I do my job to the letter of the law and am more than happy to provide the information if asked for.
Maker that 99.8% of buyers and renters (at least down here in Brighton) who couldn't care two hoots about the EPC rating. Steve Williams Brighton
In defence of EAT they don't say Which? did the research, they say Which? had discovered & commented on the Consumer Focus report.
But more relevant to criticise is the mixing of statistics - a percentage is used & compared with a "one in x". How many people stop to work out that 1 in 7 is actually 14.3%.
The use in this article of a "mere 18%" in conjunction with "despite 1 in 7" (14.3%) seems to be trying to suggest that the 1 in 7 is a larger number than 18%, when the reverse is true.
BBC are also particularly guilty of this sort of thing as no doubt are many others.
We shouldn't let the words mask the numbers, even if they are pretty meaningless anyway.
Regardless of who thinks what of EPCs - if you have a good EPC score on a property, it is an EXTRA USP to selling/letting the property.
Of course, people want to know how they can save money all the time. It's also far more genuine/truthful than a 'pretigious turn'.
Peter Simpson - Which? Extracted this article from consumer survey and published it themselves. Either way, its not really important and nobody forces you to read "yet another" EAT article :)
Another stunning own goal by Estate Agent Today.
Of course, this report was published by Consumer Focus, that has nothing to do with Which? magazine.
How reliable are the writers and sub editors on this site?
EPCs have one purpose, to measure the energy efficiency of the UK housing stock. Little to do with agents / buyers / sellers, they are simply the vehicle for measuring.
It needs to be measured (Koyoto), this way is easiest and cheapest for the Govt. (and tax payer).
Agents should be pleased that they have the chance to be in on the action (get a slice of the pie). It all depends how you look at it. Glass half empty or glass half full.
Very little of our business is residential letting, the bulk being self-catering holidays. Nonetheless, there is a proposal that even holiday lettings should have EPCs! How much of a waste of time, effort and energy is that? If anyone was interested in 'energy saving' or having a 'carbon neutral footprint' don't go on holiday in the first place! Better still, don't become ill (to save the NHS) don't bother getting an education (we can't afford it) and never leave home (you'll never be able to afford to buy or rent). There, problem solved, we'll all be 'carbon neutral'!!
You shouldn’t wait for a buyer or tenant to ask for the EPC, you should offer it and help explain its contents. Exactly the same with Hips but unfortunately not many agents had the time, inclination or in some cases intelligence to look at the Hip, pick out the good bits and explain them to the potential buyer.
Yesterdays Mail on Sunday, an article by Ross Clark, The Hidden Perils Of Flat Buying That Mean I Really Miss Hips!
@Anonymous Coward:
Spot on !
To be honest, I am surprised it is that high.
The whole HIP debacle was based around John Prescott's idea to get an energy rating for every building in every member state of the EU (Kyoto Protocol 1997 enforced 2005 - Housing Act 2004).
When the government realised how much it would cost for them to do it, they hid it inside the Home Information Pack.
It has NOTHING to do with buyers or sellers, it never did
One in seven claim that energy efficiency is top of their property ‘wish list’ - that's about 14%. Slighly more than one in seven (18%) have been influenced by the EPC when deciding to buy or rent a particular property.
I don't think this is at all surprising - in fact, it would have been very surprising if they had found a higher figure. It's quite remarkable, given the bad press surrounding EPCs, that so many buyers/renters have been able to see through this smokescreen and realise just how useful the EPC is to them.
When the proportion that consider energy efficiency increases (as it will, with fuel prices rising) the proportion that are influenced by the EPC will also rise.
It probably doesn't surprise any of us that the Government has no idea how consumers behave, but what is astonishing is how out of touch with consumers Which? is when it claims to represent their interests.
After all these years of Which? criticising everyone else, it is delightful to see that they are not above reproach.
I will be laughing about this all day!!!
Regarding people not asking to see an EPC then this is incorrect as they have asked for a properties details and the EPC, not just the Asset Rating graph is by law part of the property particulars. So if buyers and tenants are not being provided with the EPC (or at least the weblink to it)along with property details the the agents are being negligent.
But how many people know that the revised EPC has details of a link to the website where you can model effects of various energy saving methods. The information gathered for the EPC makes this property specific.
The problem is you have to have the EPC first, come on agents, and then actually read it, come on buyers and tenants (landlords)
I am surprised they found as many as 18%!
This story is not shocking at all, no one ever asks to see an EPC before they rent a property.
Wow. I would never have been able to tell them that!