Claiming EPCs will cost £1000s to upgrade from D to C ‘inaccurate’ says expert

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There have been many articles in the media stating that it will cost £5,000 to £6,000 to improve a residential landlord’s EPC from D to C.

James Tanner, whose family operates a London-based PRS portfolio, and who also runs a consultancy to help landlords improve their energy efficiency and EPCs, says that this is not what he sees on the ground.

“It is only when upgrading from an E, F or G to a C will a landlord face such high costs,” he says.

“I’ve been in this sector for 15 years and my experience tells me that it will cost most landlords substantially less to upgrade their properties to an EPC band C from a band D.

Real-world costs

“In my opinion most of this published data is based on desktop research and using averages, which doesn’t point to what the real-world costs are likely to be,” he adds.

“Releasing this kind of high cost analysis is only going to unnecessarily drive more landlords out of the market, reduce stock and drive rents even higher.

“An average property in the UK has an EPC of D with an EPC score of 60, so upgrading from 60 points to a C (minimum 69 points) is a nine-point increase, and usually that doesn’t require expensive work.

“There are a number of inexpensive and simple measures a landlord can take such as new LED eco-bulbs costing a few pounds and adding TRV radiator valves – if the property does not have them – for example would improve the EPC at least one point for each measure.”

Improvements

It’s also important to point out that some landlords have already made energy efficiency improvements since they last had an EPC done, as EPC certificates must be carried out every 10 years.

These landlords may not need to spend any money at all but instead get an up-to-date EPC carried out, which Tanner says is particularly so for landlords with a current EPC score in the mid to late 60s.

“From my experience of helping landlords improve their EPC to a C the expensive of improving from D to C is substantially less than £5,000, although of course every property is different,” he adds.

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