Five tips to help you meet the new MEES regulations
Mary-Anne Bowring 28/01/2020
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How energy efficient is your rental home?
Last week we blogged about the new electrical safety regulations that come into force on 1 July. Today we’re reminding landlords to put 1 April in their diaries too, because new rules on energy efficiency are being rolled out. Since 2018, minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) have been in force for new tenancies in England and Wales. The regulations outlaw new tenancy agreements on properties with an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating below E - unless the property is exempt. But from April this year, the MEES regulations will apply to all rental properties and it will become illegal to rent out any home with an existing or continuing tenancy that fails to meet the minimum required energy rating. Here are five ways that you can improve the energy efficiency of your property:
- Replace old, inefficient boilers
- Insulate around doors and windows and inside loft spaces
- Install double glazing
- Replace all light bulbs with LEDs
- Install radiator thermostats and smart meters
If for some reason you can't carry out work immediately, there are some temporary exemptions available for the:
- New landlords and those whose properties would be devalued by more than 5% if improvement works are carried out; and
- landlords who can’t get third-party consent to carry out the required improvements from, say, the lender, tenant, or superior landlord.
Breaches will result in financial penalties–which in some cases could be as much as £150,000 - so don’t ignore the deadline. April is only two months away, so landlords are advised to get their properties assessed and any works budgeted for sooner rather than later. Access will be needed to carry out the required work and arranging this with tenants can take time. The smart money is on the Government raising the bar again in a few years and property pundits think D or even C is likely to be set as the minimum EPC rating in the future. So if landlords have work to do on their rental homes, it’s well worth installing energy-efficient appliances, replacing those draughty doors and windows, and upgrading insulation to ensure properties achieve a C rating now.
Planetrent Properties
info@planetrent.co.uk
0208 0599 550 (for sales)
Under Offer: This term applies to a property where the landlord is considering an offer but remains on the market. It implies that further offers may still be considered until the landlord formally accepts or declines the current offer.
Let Agreed: This term indicates that a landlord has provisionally agreed to enter into a rental agreement with a prospective tenant, pending additional checks and referencing. It doesn't require the prospective tenant to have paid a holding deposit.
Let: This term signifies an established binding rental agreement between the landlord and tenant.
For both lettings and sales, the guidance addresses additional terms:
New On The Market: This term is used for a property not advertised since its last sale or rental. It should only be used for a brief period.
New Instruction: It applies to a property assigned to an agent for marketing recently, even if it was previously listed with another agent without being sold or rented.
New and Exclusive: This term refers to a property that is either new on the market or a new instruction, exclusively available through a specific agent or portal.
New Method of Sale/Let: This term is used when a property is being marketed for sale or rent using an alternative approach to the original advertisement, such as transitioning to an auction or sealed bid.
Reduced: This term indicates that a property's price has recently been reduced. The reduction should be genuine and comply with the Chartered Trading Standards Institute's guidelines on pricing practices.