Energy Efficiency - Next year's landlord headache

[CunningPlan]

This has been mentioned every now and again but seems to be a bit more of a problem than I thought

http://www.propertytribes.com/energy-efficiency-2018-threat-to-landlords-t-127628312.html

'It is believed that around one in 10 buy-to-let homes will be un-lettable next year unless landlords take steps to improve their properties' energy efficiency.

New laws that take effect in 2018 will make it an offence to let out properties with the worst energy efficiency ratings. 

The legislation states that landlords must not let out properties with the two lowest energy efficiency ratings, F and G, after April 2018 at the latest.

According to the English Housing Survey, 11.4% of homes in the private rented sector were rated F or G in 2011.  I have heard figures as high as 35% of PRS properties will not comply.'

 

Though nice to know that our fabulous poverty stricken government has gifted £200k to the Landlord that cannot spell (see comments)

Anyone seeing a lot of category F rentals to let in their searches?
 

[SerialLurker]

I can actually answer this one! It applies only to new tenancies from 2018, and the EPC should identify the worse-than-E's (although I know from experience that they can get around having one!). However, apparently it applies to existing tenancies from 2020 (if I remember correctly). How they're going to police those is going to be interesting!

[PSP]

That is great news , should keep Landlords on their toes !

[CunningPlan]

It appears that there is a standard fine for non compliance of £2k, going to £4k after three months.

EPC have to be published on rightmove. Does this make rightmove complicit and therefore they should police it?. If not, a proactive council could just employ someone to check all adverts and rake in the money from the fines.

Otherwise, just another handy way for a tenant to get revenge on a barsteward LL after they have moved on.

[interestrateripoff]

And what about councils and social housing?

[Eddie_George]

Apparently my house is a D, but it never gets warm. Hardly any insulation in the roof either. I wonder if it was a drive-by energy efficiency survey?

 

[The Knimbies who say No]

19 minutes ago, fru-gal said:

But without a National Landlord Registry, how will they know who is a landlord and who is renting out a property? Once again, slum landlords will bypass this therefore defeating the point of the whole thing since landlords who do things above board will generally follow the law and ensure a property is habitable anyway.

A lot of this stuff hangs on people generally not wanting to get stuffed with fines or worse. The slumlords will get their dues, one way or another, and having another front to go at 'em with is no bad thing either. The deposit protection scheme ought to provide a good start for a property database, and I think that media campaigns etc could put the screws on many of the delinquents. Shitty LLs maybe have several disgruntled ex tenants, so encouraging them to divulge their ex LL details could be fruitful

The stakes get higher for pisspoor landlords:

DPS

EPC

Gas safety, eleccy in the offing too?

Move towards compulsory registration schemes..

S24 + knock on effect eg forcing hands on rent income declaration for tax purposes.

CGT for 'accidental' types who get rid after letting it out ie no longer primary residence?

 

Quite a charge sheet for the worst offenders.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 20, 2017 by The Knimbies who say No

[macca13]

Here's how the SCUM get round it, make the tenant pay!

 

The National Landlords' Association has launched a scheme to help investors to make energy efficiency improvements, under which energy efficiency measures are paid for by a loan that is repaid via a supplement on the property's electricity bill. The idea is that the loan repayments are cancelled out by the reduction in energy bills, so there is no net cost to either landlord or tenant.

[The Knimbies who say No]

1 minute ago, macca13 said:

Here's how the SCUM get round it, make the tenant pay!

 

The National Landlords' Association has launched a scheme to help investors to make energy efficiency improvements, under which energy efficiency measures are paid for by a loan that is repaid via a supplement on the property's electricity bill. The idea is that the loan repayments are cancelled out by the reduction in energy bills, so there is no net cost to either landlord or tenant.

linky?

[macca13]

22 minutes ago, fru-gal said:

But without a National Landlord Registry, how will they know who is a landlord and who is renting out a property? Once again, slum landlords will bypass this therefore defeating the point of the whole thing since landlords who do things above board will generally follow the law and ensure a property is habitable anyway.

My landlord is legal. told her there was no insulation in the loft, paying £9 a day when its cold on the pre pay meter,, She told me to put a coat on.. Told her the indoor plug sockets mounted outdoors were illegal, she said I can change them if I want to waterproof ones..

unfortunately it was £100+ cheaper than other properties in the area, although it will cost me more than I have saved due to the gas bill..  

Money money money.. I hate these scum

[macca13]

4 minutes ago, The Knimbies who say No said:

linky?

http://www.propertytribes.com/green-deal-warning-dont-end-up-with-an-t-7442.html

its at the bottom, last paragraph

[Ah-so]

6 minutes ago, macca13 said:

My landlord is legal. told her there was no insulation in the loft, paying £9 a day when its cold on the pre pay meter,, She told me to put a coat on.. Told her the indoor plug sockets mounted outdoors were illegal, she said I can change them if I want to waterproof ones..

unfortunately it was £100+ cheaper than other properties in the area, although it will cost me more than I have saved due to the gas bill..  

Money money money.. I hate these scum

Complain to the local authority about the unsafe plug and that she refuses to change it. That will being her to their notice and protect you from eviction. 

[macca13]

3 minutes ago, Ah-so said:

Complain to the local authority about the unsafe plug and that she refuses to change it. That will being her to their notice and protect you from eviction. 

sounds stupid but I have 3 kids in schools.. I have a goodish deposit (good in 1996, not so good now) I just say yes mam big false smile and pretend I am happy living in her slave box.. It is my choice, I just put up with it until something happens.. If nothing happens I take my goodish deposit somewhere out of London where I can hopefully just buy something, although even that is getting out of hand.

Best part of my outdoor plug socket is its mounted near the hose pipe just in case I want to plug and electric pump in.. pain in the **** if the pipe comes loose on the tap as the water sprays everywhere..   I did ask for an electrical safety certificate but they seem to be for HMO's from what I have read.

like the landlord said, she has been letting for 16 years and I'm the first to complain about wet electrics..

[The Knimbies who say No]

19 minutes ago, macca13 said:

http://www.propertytribes.com/green-deal-warning-dont-end-up-with-an-t-7442.html

its at the bottom, last paragraph

From 2013. I guess it wasn't popular as I dare say we'd have heard about the resultant sheet storm by now..

[macca13]

4 minutes ago, The Knimbies who say No said:

From 2013. I guess it wasn't popular as I dare say we'd have heard about the resultant sheet storm by now..

Its not 2018 yet,  just made me laugh as it was seen as a "0" cost option to tenants and landlords.. Its not "0" cost, landlords get their property upgraded and tenants pay for it.. The way their brains work.. staggering 

[The Knimbies who say No]

9 hours ago, macca13 said:

Its not 2018 yet,  just made me laugh as it was seen as a "0" cost option to tenants and landlords.. Its not "0" cost, landlords get their property upgraded and tenants pay for it.. The way their brains work.. staggering 

Now, there's a thing. I read that the NLA scheming was immediate 'has launched' rather than part of the 2018 energy legislation above. It was launched as part of the green deal, which had its funding cut after an abysmal run to 2015. 14,000 loans financed via the Govt. There may be private financiers still around, I dare say there are given the exorbitant interest costs, thoroughly opaque benchmarks, which are meaningless anyway, and strict liability regardless of performance of the measured purchased, but it won't be many.

As a tenant you do not have to agree to take on the bill supplement- it needs your express agreement to do so, it is worth mentioning, as I understand it.

 

edit SKS - spyguy keyboard syndrome.

Edited March 21, 2017 by The Knimbies who say No

[Fairyland]

19 hours ago, fru-gal said:

How are they going to police it though? Presumably it is voluntary since no landlord is going to bother offering their rental up for inspection and most tenants won't know it is necessarily and won't want to speak up for fear of being evicted?

1) An anonymous help line where the tenant can feel safe to report

2) Beginning/Ending of contracts

3) Local authorities getting a list of BTL properties from Lenders.

[Caravan Monster]

If the place is a dump, smoke and CO detectors are something else you can advise the local authorities about when you leave. The regs are quite onerous and I seem to remember the fine is up to £5k.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/smoke-and-carbon-monoxide-alarms-explanatory-booklet-for-landlords

edit: amazingly, the requirement for a CO detector is only advisory for gas appliances, but mandatory for solid fuel. So it's ok to get gassed to death by a faulty gas appliance.

[CunningPlan]

19 hours ago, fru-gal said:

How are they going to police it though? Presumably it is voluntary since no landlord is going to bother offering their rental up for inspection and most tenants won't know it is necessarily and won't want to speak up for fear of being evicted?

I still find it extraordinary that there is no central register of this stuff.

You can go online and check a cars mot, HP etc. And cars move about a lot!

It can't be beyond the wit of man to take the DVLA system, change the fields (postcode and house number, EPC cert, gas cert, LL insurance, LL status) and bingo, a nice shiny register of properties.

I can only think they don't actually want to do this.

 

[crazypabs]

Who's going to tell the 118's that there is another TENANT TAX looming!

 

[Confusion of VIs]

15 hours ago, Eddie_George said:

Apparently my house is a D, but it never gets warm. Hardly any insulation in the roof either. I wonder if it was a drive-by energy efficiency survey?

 

Mine is E and it leaks heat like a sieve, heating goes off and 30m later it's freezing. I really would not want to live in an F or G rated home.  

[macca13]

1 hour ago, fru-gal said:

Can you not switch to non-metering? Surely if you are paying the gas/electricity bill you should have the choice how you pay? Meters are notoriously expensive. Did she protect your deposit? If not you can go after her for (I think it is) 4 x the amount when you leave.

So I rang British gas and the pre pay meters they supply would need to be ripped out and replaced to pay monthly. There is only 1 tarrif (most expensive) on pre pay and the pre pay smart meters are different to their monthly smart meters.. 

I rang other providers and they told me British gas smart meters are not compatible with their systems.. so the meter would need to be ripped out..

lots of hassle, a leaving charge per service and a meter changes.. and get this all approved by the landlord.. 

so I bought a smart thermostat so the heating/hot water only works when i want it 2. Has saved me money, fitted it myself. The thermostat that was connected was toast and the timer made the heating and hot water come on at the same time, now I can control them seperatly. Changed every bulb to energy saving, kept the old bulbs/stat to put back when I leave. 

Deposit protected

 

 

[Longtermrenter]

39 minutes ago, macca13 said:

So I rang British gas and the pre pay meters they supply would need to be ripped out and replaced to pay monthly. There is only 1 tarrif (most expensive) on pre pay and the pre pay smart meters are different to their monthly smart meters.. 

I rang other providers and they told me British gas smart meters are not compatible with their systems.. so the meter would need to be ripped out..

lots of hassle, a leaving charge per service and a meter changes.. and get this all approved by the landlord.. 

 

 

 

I had a meter changed in a rental from pre-pay to billed about 5 years ago - they did this without charge as well. I didn't inform the landlord; he didn't inform me it was pre-paid before I moved in, and I believe the unfair terms in contracts legislation would mean this is ok to do anyway. i.e. a person shouldn't be forced on to a higher cost of energy with no justification.

[Longtermrenter]

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/get-a-better-energy-deal/switching-energy-supplier-if-youre-a-tenant/

Having prepayment meters removed or installed

Your landlord can’t stop you replacing a prepayment meter with a normal meterthat lets you pay after using energy rather than in advance. You don’t need your landlord’s permission to do this.

If you get behind on your gas or electricity bills, your energy supplier might want to install a prepayment meter. Your landlord can’t stop this, and you don’t need their permission.

Returning the original meters at the end of your tenancy

If you install or remove prepayment meters, you might have to put the original meters back at the end of your tenancy. This is because the change will count as an alteration to the property. You'll have to pay any fee your energy supplier charges for changing the meters back.

Most people's suppliers don’t charge a fee for installing or removing meters. If yours does, think about switching supplier. Or tell your current supplier you’ll switch to another one - they might remove the fee if you stay with them.

[Longtermrenter]

There - that clarifies it somewhat - I didn't get it changed back - that's another story...