Are decision-makers suffering from delusions of competence on EPC rules?

Are decision-makers suffering from delusions of competence on EPC rules?

9:21 AM, 10th February 2025, About 15 hours ago 14

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Bad Policy Example: From 2028, it is suggested that all new tenancies must have an EPC rating of ‘C’ or above, with all existing tenancies required to meet this target by 2030.

Why is this bad Policy?

1. Millions of houses are below ‘C’ and won’t be a ‘C’ for 2028. These properties will then be removed from the rental sector. With fewer properties available, a growing population and insufficient new builds, then what does the government think will happen to rents? Assuming the number of renters remains constant and fewer rental houses are available this government will be attacking tenants as they cull the supply.

Further, the government thinks landlords should spend up to £15k on a property to achieve a £240 a year saving for the tenant on hearing bills. The math would show it would take 40 years to get your money back, a horrendous return.

Here’s what good policy looks like!

Invest the money in nuclear power stations – Use competent builders to achieve a five years build and allow them allow people access to sufficient low cost green energy to cheaply heat homes supplemented with wind and solar. An abundance of cheap energy.

They say they want growth yet run policies of shrinkage. Perhaps the decision-makers suffer from delusions of competence?

What does the property118 community think?

Thanks,

Paul


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moneymanager

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10:13 AM, 10th February 2025, About 14 hours ago

What happens if the EPC level can't be met without collective action in a leasehold building?

moneymanager

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10:17 AM, 10th February 2025, About 14 hours ago

Nuclear power stations ARE be built, not for us plebs but fir all the new data centres that are our virtual prison walls that will know more about you than you do yourself.

Contango

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10:19 AM, 10th February 2025, About 14 hours ago

We have a few statutory tenants who have written us letters denying access for energy performance improvements.

Judith Wordsworth

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11:06 AM, 10th February 2025, About 13 hours ago

Reply to the comment left by moneymanager at 10/02/2025 - 10:13
If other Leaseholders are owner occupiers they do not have to even have an EPC until selling, or renting out their property so they cannot be expected to put a penny towards and upgrading for Leaseholders who rent out their property. So liability for any collective action for upgrading anyone's EPC is no existent.

It is also not for the freeholder(s) to pay anything towards upgrading EPC's.

Ron H-W

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11:10 AM, 10th February 2025, About 13 hours ago

"Further, the government thinks landlords should spend up to £15k on a property to achieve a £240 a year saving for the tenant on hearing bills. The math would show it would take 40 years to get your money back, a horrendous return."
I thought I was good at maths, though I make it not 40 years but much worse: 62.5 years - an even more horrendous return!
Indeed, neither is really a "return" at all if, as is the case most of the time, annual inflation is more than 2.5% (or 1.6% if my version is correct).
Quite frankly, it seems to me that a landlord could be much better off by, instead, simply giving the tenant a £20 (or even £30) per month discount.

Geoff

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11:18 AM, 10th February 2025, About 13 hours ago

I think this is biased - a different perspective can also be applied
1) Comparing a capital cost to a payback-rate is not alwats valid. 40 year payback is likely the worst case. But in theory at least, the dwelling's capital value will increase if the remedial works are applied. So not all the remedial costs need to be recouped
2) Some (many?) of the current rental dwellings that can't be economically remediated will end up for sale. These might then be redeveloped and multiple high quality dwellings provided on a site previously had a single low quality dwelling. So we end up with more housing
3) The additional new-builds may then enter the rental sector - strengthening the rental sector.

Andy

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11:27 AM, 10th February 2025, About 13 hours ago

I agree, nuclear is the UK's (and most of the world's) answer to clean energy. One small rock of uranium can power a city versus acres of solar and even more inefficient wind turbines. Practically, I think a lot of the skills for building nuclear plants have retired or died; investment is needed to address this, but perfectly achievable. Other countries have embraced modern nuclear for clean cheap energy but will the UK? Not holding my breath.

Jo Westlake

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12:24 PM, 10th February 2025, About 12 hours ago

Reply to the comment left by Ron H-W at 10/02/2025 - 11:10
A lot of these older houses are already significantly cheaper to rent than modern more energy efficient ones, so the tenants are already receiving a discount way in excess of any extra energy costs.

Crouchender

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12:33 PM, 10th February 2025, About 12 hours ago

Scotland is even more delusional as ALL rental properties HAVE to be C by 2028. Two years early so at least we can watch the car crash in Scotland first.

Paul Essex

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12:57 PM, 10th February 2025, About 11 hours ago

Reply to the comment left by Ron H-W at 10/02/2025 - 11:10
Of course the saving is for the tenants not the landlord so rents have to rise to get any return at all on the money.

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