Commercial property EPC deadline draws close with much confusion among all involved

New government legislation that will require hotels, pubs and restaurants to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) before they can be sold is already causing confusion, property experts have warned.

The law, set to come into force on October 1, will mean any property that is up for sale or letting, or due to be put up for sale or letting, will need to have an EPC certificate.

An EPC provides the energy rating for a building which is based on the energy efficiency of the premises and its services such as heating, air conditioning, ventilation and lighting. The certificates will last for 10 years and are graded from A to G, much like fridges.

The UK’s largest pub operator has teamed up with a consortium of energy and compliance specialists led by Connaught Compliance together with Royal & Sun Alliance and Charterhouse Energy in a deal that will provide EPCs for more than 800 of its leased pubs.

It falls upon the owner, and not the property agent, to make an EPC available to perspective letters or buyers, with those failing to obtain one being liable for a fine of between ?500 and ?5,000.

The timescale required to obtain a certificate is expected to be between seven and 10 days, depending on the availability of an assessor.

Assessors will collect information about the building including plans, dimensions of the building, its uses, the number of floors, the amount and type of the heating systems and the fuel used.

Darren Bond, head of valuation services at property agent Christie + Co, said the legislation was already causing confusion.

“We still don’t know how many assessors there will be, and it is rumoured that there is a shortage of them,” he told a reporter.

“In terms of us as sales agents, there is definitely a grey area when it comes to selling pubs as to whether or not we will demand the pub seller has an EPC. But we will endeavour to help them.”

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