Holiday Accomodation Cottages and Apartments
All properties offered as holiday lettings are required to have an Energy Performance Certificate from the beginning of July 2011.
This is to comply with the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations (EPBD), and brings holiday cottages into line with all other properties in the country. The EPC advises tenants of the efficiency of the property but also benefits landlords by: + Making the accommodation more appealing to ‘green tourism’ customers + Identifying areas of improvement in order to reduce the owners energy costs as most cottages are let inclusive of bills + Certificates can be used as a basis for obtaining grants on energy efficiency measures, and for obtaining GREEN DEAL benefits from Autumn 2012 + Giving an opportunity to recognise Landlords efforts in offering quality accommodation. Certificates cost less than 16 pence a week over their lifettime! Are any properties exempt from the requirements? - Properties not offered for let for a combined total of less than 4 months in a 12 month period - Caravans, whether mobile or static - Tents, mobile homes and structures not subject to building regulations such as yurts and temporary light timber structures. - Buildings that are not internally conditioned by heating or air conditioning equipment, such as camping barns. |
How we can help
The deadline has passed; many automatic £200 fines have been issued already accross the country - dont be the next!Properties offered for let without an EPC are now ILLEGAL and owners / agents offering them face prosecution, and possible removal from marketing particulars, tourism listings and loss of income.
Over 63,000 properties fall into the requirements across the UK. The deadline of 30th June has not be extended by Government, as there was already extra months allowed for compliance. Cash strapped councils will be eagerly looking for ways to generate income from fines of £200 per property for non-compliance, which will ADD to the low cost of obtaining an EPC. Please act as soon as possible. For landlords or agents with large portfolios, we can totally manage the whole project to ensure all your properties are certificated before the deadline, and placing all the documents on a CD-Rom for your convenience. You can be assured of quality service, experience and value; we are one of the longest established firms of energy assessors in the region and are trusted by many property agents and individuals alike.We are also fully experienced of national park, conservation area and coastal properties. Whilst we always take great care to avoid any disruption to lettings or guests, we would advise that certificates are obtained as soon as possible before peak season and bank holidays. By arrangement, we can carry out other services to assist landlords and agents, such as taking meter readings and bespoke reports on properties that would benefit from insulations. For any questions or clarification on the new regulations, please feel free to contact us; we are available for contact and service 7 days a week. What happens if a property is not certificated? Failure to provide such certificates will render the Landlord liable for fines of £200 per property, in addition to the cost of the certificates and possibly disciplinary proceedings for agents. Tourism boards such as the ETB / visitbritain may also impose their own penalties such as removal from registers. Agents may also stop advertising properties to prevent themselves facing disciplinary action.There is also the risk of adverse publicity affecting rental income. A document of further information and FAQs can be found on our downloads page. Terms and Conditions appear at the top of our downloads page. |
