Landlords still ‘none the wiser’ about new EPC rating

Why is an association representing landlords chasing the Government to give landlords MORE regulation??! They should be chasing the government to have LESS regulation.

PRS only represents 1 in 5 homes per the article, so why not start with the 4 in 5 owner occupied properties, before starting landlord bashing??

It is a massive big deal when assessor's get it wrong. Usually assessments done by insulation companies are the worst.
When one of my houses was originally assessed in 2008 the EPC said the solid walls had been insulated internally. Presumably the owner at that time produced the necessary proof that the insulation existed. I bought the house in 2016. When there was grant funding available for loft and cavity wall insulation I applied for it and that required their EPC assessor to do a new EPC. He stated assumed no insulation. The EPC top recommendation is external or internal insulation for the solid walls. Followed by cavity wall insulation, even though the insulation company couldn't find enough cavity walls to be willing to insulate them.
My current regular assessor says he has to assume no insulation exists if he can't prove it does. So in order to prove it exists I'm presumably going to have to cut inspection holes in the walls, which will compromise the integrity of the insulation (assuming the first EPC was correct).

Reply to the comment left by Jo Westlake at 25/01/2023 - 11:38
Yes, that's true in my experience: I have similar issues and I have also found that assessments done by insulation companies are the worst. To make matters worse, even though CWI is what the EPC recommends that's not actually where the properties lose energy; the insulation companies just want to sell insulation. It's a bit like those electricians that do EICR assessments for you so that they can then write themselves a cheque at your expense even though what they are recommending is not required by the regulations.

Reply to the comment left by Martin Harrington at 23/01/2023 - 20:43
Load of rubbish! It's very subjective. There is no measurement of any sort but just whimsical. You can have 2 assessors for the same property and they will come back with 2 different outcomes after first looking at that the previous EPC . Egs. Not having a gas boiler counts against you. Well if you kive where there is no gas and i flats you are ki jted. Recently an assessor graded the property lower be a use the bathroom fitting has a water proof fluorescent fitting rather than led which were present in all other outlets.

It's just a money making scheme to keep people employed at the cost of others.

Amaze your friends! You too can become an "expert" professional EPC assessor by attending a 5 day course. No entry qualifications needed just the ability to hand over about £1400 and away you go! If you have a large portfolio might be worth getting trained up and saving yourself a bomb! I had a property rated as a higher D. Asked around a bit, found a different assessor and got a low C potentially saving around £1500. Just shows how subjective the process is. The assessor turns up with a clip board and a collapsible ladder and a tape measure that’s it, no infrared camera or other instrumentation to actually quantify anything so it comes down to opinions which can differ and can make all the difference when your property is on the cusp of passing or failing to get the C rating. I think the whole EPC system at present is flawed and is not fit for purpose especially if it is actually going to be enshrined in legislation to the detriment of PRS landlords and ultimately their tenants as landlords sell up or pass on costs.

Reply to the comment left by northern landlord at 28/01/2023 - 11:38
I agree with your comment NL ‘ the EPC is flawed and not fit for purpose’ I purchased a detached freehold property in sept 2021 which had 2 self contained flats.
In 2017 the same assessor , but a week apart suggested the basement flat walls were granite or whinstone as built with a poor rating but the walls to top flat were cob as built with a rating average. Property was built say over 100 years ago. I am not a builder but I find that hard to understand.
In 2013 the basement flat has online an EPC completed by a different assessor. His description of the walls was :- Cob as built and rating Average!
I also noted another possibly significant difference the total floor area in 2013 was 49 sq metres and 2017 was only 45 sq metres. It’s the same building but has shrunk by 10% ish. Both EPCs for the basement flat concluded it was a ‘E’ which I assume is correct.

I cannot pretend I understand but other differences are:-
2013 heating
Space heating-6706kw pa and in 2017 it’s 8010kw Pa

These differences to me at close to 20% are significant, and I assume can affect the overall energy rating! If not why calculate the number?