EPCS ‘to damage BTL market’

With Home Information Packs (HIPs) set to launch on 1 June, the government indicated that EPCs would be needed for all buy-to-let (BTL) properties. It revealed that the energy certification scheme would be in operation within the BTL market from October 2008, despite no guidelines currently in place.

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Andy Young, chief executive officer at TBMC, admitted the move could hinder the BTL market. He said: “This latest announcement regarding EPCs is just another extension to the HIPs fiasco. It will certainly have an impact on the way landlords currently conduct their business as they will have to employ qualified inspectors to give their properties an energy rating, perhaps more frequently than the 10 years required by European law.

“On the upside, the requirement for landlords to obtain EPCs could see an improvement in the standard of rental property and perhaps allow tenants to make more informed decisions about the properties they rent.”

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Following the government announcement, Michael Gove, Shadow Housing Minister, also voiced his concerns. He said; “The fact that there are no regulations surrounding the extension of HIPs into the rental sector only served to demonstrate the way in which the whole thing has been botched.”