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The Green Deal.
Last week I attended a conference on the Governments new Green Deal initiative and as I am sure that many of you have not heard of it I thought I should share this information as it is relevant to all householders, tenants and everybody involved in selling houses.
Firstly, a quote from Chris Hulme, Secretary of State of Energy and Climate Change.
“ Under the Green Deal, bill payers will be able to get energy efficiency improvements without having to front up the cash. Instead,
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What Happened to the Home Condition Report?
The Home Condition Report was originally set up to be part of the Home Information Pack (HIP) and was a survey to highlight a properties condition before the buyer went ahead with the purchase. It was never enforced as a compulsory inclusion in a HIP but remained voluntary. Take up was virtually nil but it remained in place for a while even when the HIP was abolished, it too has now been discarded and no longer exists.
The basis for the Home Condition Report was used to create the Home Condition Survey which is a
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Beware of losing money.
I thought I should mention something about the workings of some of the companies online offering cheap epc’s, particularly as the number of people asking us to produce epc’s who have lost their money is on the increase.
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ALL IN A DAYS WORK
The requirements for gathering data to compile Energy Performance Certificates is constantly changing, it is becoming more involved as heating systems, renewable energy systems, insulation materials and the suchlike become increasingly complex.Energy Assessors have to undergo continuous professional development and training to keep pace with advancements and produce accurate energy assessments.Clearly, this will mean that an energy assessor will need to spend more time at a property and more time compiling the report.
For those who don’t know – energy assessors are regularly audited, at random, by their accreditation schemes and have to upload all evidence and justifications for their decisions. There is little or no room for error so the energy assessors approach to all jobs must be thorough and accurate.
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Who Needs an Inventory?
Thought I’d talk about Inventories and Schedules of Condition this month, as there is a growing need since the introduction of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme. Landlords now need the tenants agreement to withhold all or part of the deposit to pay for any damage to the property and in the event that your tenant disputes your claim you will have to prove that you are right.
For example, if you find a scratch on the front of the stainless steel sink you will need evidence that the scratch wasn’t there when the tenant moved in. Just a photo isn’t good enough unless its signed by the tenant at the time they take the tenancy. It also needs to be supported by documentary evidence in a properly laid out fashion.
I often hear “but I never needed one before and I’ve been letting property for 100 years”. This is because you’ve never had to get your tenants permission to withhold their deposit to pay for damage, you could just take the money, send them the balance with a scribbled reason and they rarely bothered to challenge you.
But the classic response I get is “why do I need an inventory, there’s nothing in the property”
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