Where will tenants go when EPC work is carried out on properties?

Where will tenants go when EPC work is carried out on properties?

0:04 AM, 11th August 2023, About A year ago 37

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Hello, regarding the proposals to upgrade all properties to an EPC ‘C’ rating, where are the tenants of a two-bed back-to-back going to live whilst the work is carried out? Don’t forget that pets are as important as kids in many families.

Where will the mum/dad go during the day when the property is full of workmen and debris? It could take several weeks per property.

Where will a stay-at-home parent with infants go? How will provide food be provided with no kitchen? The one who puts food on the table comes home to a freezing cold house? No bathroom for days and days? No CH?

West Yorkshire has a huge number of these properties. We have several. We’re really good, experienced landlords but I’ve spent hours trying to fathom this out. There is no solution for most of my tenants. Has the person – Gove? – who came up with the policy ever even been in a similar property? Doubtful. Perhaps he’d offer up a few rooms in one of his no doubt multi-roomed mansions to accommodate some of my tenants whilst the work is carried out. Doubtful again.

I’ve gone through all of our properties one by one. All of our properties have gas central heating (GCH). The next substantial step would be retro-fitting wall insulation in some plus roof insulation in those with loft bedrooms. Nearly all have gas boilers in their kitchen or bathroom to vent through an exterior wall. Anyone familiar with properties such as ours would know you’d have to dismantle the entire kitchen and bathroom to get to the wall to be insulated.

The entire GCH system would have to be reinstalled as would the kitchen and bathroom plus much of the water supply and waste removal. The trouble is, some would ‘lose’ the kitchen. Some would ‘lose’ the bathroom, some both. The reason being there isn’t enough space for boilers, bathrooms and kitchens to be reinstalled in front of the insulation. All the sockets re-sited. New skirting boards, decoration.

How do you square that circle?

There isn’t the workforce to carry out all of this work. All of the suppliers of insulation materials stress insulation must be expertly installed or at least by competent professionals. Twenty years of experience has meant I know I need several of all types of professionals. Roofers – 6; gas safe plumbers similar; electricians 8. We have mutual trust.

Apart from emergencies, I sometimes have to join the queue. A lack of competent labour available to install insulation will see every cowboy in the land crawling out of the woodwork and charging more money than Elvis earned to do a rubbish job. Waste of time and money.

Tenants will be worse off financially. I’ll have to increase rents by around £1000 pa. Put that against a paltry saving in gas and electricity even at todays prices when the general feeling is that energy prices could well fall hence even lower ‘savings’. If the government want to save folk money all they need to do is to stop pandering to the greens and remove ‘green’ levies.

Then, how are you going to police the rogue EPC providers who will be abundant, no doubt? As usual, the ones who work to the legislation will suffer whilst the rest will get away with a dodgy EPC cert. Come to think of it, I think that’s what I need……

Thanks for reading,

Ian


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Graham Bowcock

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14:43 PM, 11th August 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Slooky at 11/08/2023 - 14:41
I'm not debating that bit. My point stands if the tenant doesn't want to use the exemption.

Slooky

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14:59 PM, 11th August 2023, About A year ago

Really, you said the landlord had a legal requirement even if the tenant didn't want the works done.

So to get back to the point you are debating. The landlord has a legal requirement but the tenant has the choice. They can either say yes they want it done or no they don't. If they want it done they should pay out of their own pocket for temporary accommodation. During the works they will not be paying rent on the accommodation where the works are being done so they should not be out of pocket. Even if they are slightly out of pocket their bills will apparently be cheaper which will compensate. In the case of EPC legislation there has never been any suggestion that the landlord should pay alternative costs. If the works required are extreme and the tenant needs to move out but the tenant refuses to move out I would suggest that the tenant is obstructing the works by his actions and therefore an exemption would be granted

GlanACC

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15:52 PM, 11th August 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Slooky at 11/08/2023 - 14:41
I have 4 properties that need upgrading, I have spoken to the tenants and they don't want any internal work done as they work from home. I will fit solar panels and a battery (£7k) which will not cause them any inconvenience

Graham Bowcock

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16:23 PM, 11th August 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Slooky at 11/08/2023 - 14:59
No doubt there will soon be some cases to establish if a landlord has to pay or not. I am not sure why works to comply with EPC rules are any different than any other works required to make a property legally compliant (e.g. rewiring) so don't see why the landlord should not pay for the tenant's reasonable alternatvie accommodation.

We will have to agree to differ until there are cases offering clarity.

GlanACC

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16:38 PM, 11th August 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by Graham Bowcock at 11/08/2023 - 16:23
I agree in principle that the landlord should pay for temporary accommodation, but in reality that will not be cheap as little suitable available accommodation is available. Additionally, I don't intend to spend £1000's on upgrades where the return is so little. Eg. underfloor insulation costs £3500 and savings are in the low £100's. As for back to back and terraced properties interior insulation also makes the adjoining properties warmer at no expense to their owners.

Slooky

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17:19 PM, 11th August 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by GlanACC at 11/08/2023 - 16:38
That is true about cheaper alternative accommodation probably not being available.
Regards rewiring that's a maintenance issue surely, which has been caught by EICR inspection. So many new rules regarding electric and gas are not retrospective and therefore enormous upheaval is not necessary. Rewiring is maintenance and if required the landlord should think about a rent discount or alternative accommodation but I don't believe EPC requirements come under maintenance. Any EPC requirements are going to be an improvement to the property and while the landlord is paying for improvements I don't see why he should pay for alternative accommodation. But I agree when the legislation is finally published in detail we shall start finding out what is necessary.

I like the idea of plonking solar panels on with a battery, unfortunately my properties are flats so won't be able to do that. If the roof could take it I would probably consider it for 1 flat which gets too hot so in the future we will probably be required to fit air conditioning as per new rental reforms coming out soon which say we have to ensure the property is not too cold and not too hot. We also live on a busy road so according to the rental reforms we would have to noise reducing triple glazing! Who knows how an air con unit will affect the EPC.

Gary Tulie

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3:34 AM, 12th August 2023, About A year ago

Ideally with these back to back properties, insulation would be done externally a whole street at a time. That way, costs would be more manageable, and being external, no need to refit electrics, plumbing, kitchens etc. No need to rehouse tenants as no internal disruption. Ideally windows if old would be replaced at the same time - with the new windows installed to align with the external insulation and good draft sealing applied - adequate CONTROLLED ventilation is essential. Aligning with the insulation reduces cold bridging which otherwise let's heat leak around the insulation causing cold spots and risking condensation. All significant external issues need addressing like leaking gutters and damp walls and the walls need to be dry and sound before works commende. In some cases, roofs may need extending by one tile to still have adequate overhang. If feasible, such streets could be connected to district heating run off a large commercial heat pump - possibly supplemented by solar water heating, and part powered by solar panels.

clarkydaz

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6:00 AM, 12th August 2023, About A year ago

Simply putting solar panels on your house, especially an old terrace isn't a guarantee for a c rating is it. Very likely significant work is needed

GlanACC

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7:32 AM, 12th August 2023, About A year ago

Reply to the comment left by clarkydaz at 12/08/2023 - 06:00
Absolutely true, fitting solar won't guarantee a C rating. However that is irrelevant as as long as I spend up to the cap I am guaranteed an exemption no matter what the rating is.

Andrew57

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8:25 AM, 12th August 2023, About A year ago

I carried out some work earlier this year. The tenant didn't want to move out as he had no where to go. The downstairs was a building site for two weeks. The tenant hated it, the builder hated it as he had to work around the tenant moving furniture, food etc. and as a result the work took much longer than it should and cost me more money. For future work I will put book tenants into a Travelodge. It will be cheaper and less hassle.

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