One of the most challenging aspects of being a landlord is staying in touch with legislation. At the start of 2020, English landlords had more than 150 pieces of legislation to comply with. With this guidance being updated regularly, and new legislation being passed, it is often a full-time job keeping up with the administrative side of being a landlord.
At Just Lets, we understand the challenges of being a modern landlord. We are pleased to say we help many landlords in and around Peterborough, and we want to ensure you make informed decisions.
Your rental property must comply with MEES regulations
Not only do we keep our landlords up to date with current legislation, but we also ensure they receive an early warning about proposed changes. While there is no need to act now, landlords should be aware of proposed changes regarding the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) and the standard of your rental property.
If you let property, you must hold a valid EPC. Also, the rental property must be classed as an E or better. If your rental property is classed as an F or a G, it is not suitable for letting purposes. (As always, there are some exemptions, but the vast majority of rental property must meet these standards.)
There is no denying energy efficiency is an important topic, and it is an issue that tenants are interested in. When a rental property has a good standard of energy efficiency, it is easier to heat. This lowers energy bills, making the property more appealing to tenants.
In the long-term, landlords also benefit by improving the energy-efficiency rating of a rental property, but most focus falls on the tenant.
Are changes coming to energy efficiency in rental property?
The new proposal comes from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. It is looking for the EPC standard on private rental properties to be a Band C or better by 2025 for all new tenancies, and by 2028 for all tenancies.
Paul Offley, the compliance officer at The Guild of Property Professionals, has spoken about the proposed EPC changes.
Paul said; “Following the recent reports in some of the industry press, I have received a number of concerns relating to the proposal to introduce a new minimum energy efficiency rating for the Private Rental Sector (PRS) in England at level C, which would apply for all new tenancies from 2025 and all existing tenancies from 2028. As you can imagine there are a number of properties where this will impact significantly on landlords in some areas where the cost of energy improvements could be high.”
Paul continued by saying; “Landlords may also be concerned at the increased costs they may face, especially as some may have issues with rent arrears from their tenants who have been impacted by coronavirus – but ‘don’t panic’ is my clear message. At this stage the government has announced its intention and issued a consultation process, everyone involved with the PRS has until the end of December 2020 to have their say and submit a response to the consultation; so don’t suffer in silence this is your opportunity to have your say on this topic.”
If you feel strongly about this matter, you have time to voice your opinion. You can email PRStrajectoryConsultation@beis.gov.uk, or visit the website at https://beisgovuk.citizenspace.com/energy-efficiency/improving-energy-performance-privately-rented-home/.
If you are a landlord in or around Peterborough, and you need assistance in managing your rental property, we can help. We know these are challenging times for landlords, but there is a demand for rental property. When you need guidance in the local market, contact Just Lets Peterborough today, and we will be happy to help you.
You can find Just Lets Peterborough at 142 Oundle Road, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE2 9PJ. Feel free to email us at peterborough@justlets.com or call us today on 01733 346255.
