20^th Feb 2019

From its research carried out by a property technology solution company, it forecasts that millions of Energy Performance Certificates may be incorrect because of wrong measurements of properties and the below par training of the assessors.

The company is warning all estate agents they may not be fulfilling their consumer protection regulation obligations. They could end up facing heavy fines with costs if found to be displaying incorrect EPC listings.

The company researched 532 properties in the capital whose energy performance certificate listings were included in the public EPC register. From their analysis the company believes 29% of the properties are 'borderline' and that their scores were two points within a downgrade or upgrade.

The company then used its own criteria and measurement tools and after scaling up its 'typical' findings, sends out a stark warning that 2.5million EPCS would have to be re-rated if they were not properly assessed and measured and that 1.3 million could be downgraded.

The mistakes being made are because of domestic energy assessors carrying out the measurements using outdated tools and criteria.

The survey found that 25% of EPCs listings of property sizes were so inaccurate because they varied by over 10% to the correct sizes.

90% of EPCs are lodged using the reduced data standard assessment procedures which are simple averages or standardised values; rather than the 'true' measurement of many features which are used to work out EPC scores and ratings, including a property's volume.

The company believes that landlords could be put into the position of failing to meet the April 2018's minimum energy requirements, through no fault of their own.

The property technology company is telling agents that they should check with their assessors on how many points of measurement they have used to calculate a property's area, and whether their measurements are captured by a chartered surveyor or a RICS Certified Measurer.

Anthony Browne, a senior advisor to the company, said: “Our study reveals that it’s not really a case of if your EPC is measured inaccurately, but how much it is measured inaccurately.

“Inaccurate EPCs present serious challenges and risks not only to property professionals, consumers and estate agents – but also the environment.

“It means tens of thousands of landlords are unwittingly renting out their properties, opening them up to the risk of fines of thousands of pounds through no fault of their own.

“Measuring the energy efficiency of buildings accurately is essential in limiting their environmental impact and tackling the bigger global issue of climate change. If you are not measuring the problem properly, you won’t tackle it effectively.”

News Archive »