If someone could be convinced to bring the recent machinations of the property market to the big screen, we feel they could do far worse than draw upon Francis Ford Coppola’s experience with Apocalypse Now. With the news of several better-known names in the HIP industry closing due to lower-than-expected volumes, it seems only a matter of time before others will follow suit. As ever, we remain unconvinced by the strategy of very low price points in a service market, and we watch with interest over the next three months, whether those firms that were relying on the usual Autumn increase in instructions will survive.
EPCs for Lettings
From October 1st, an Energy Performance Certificate is required before a property may be marketed as being available to be let. There is a belief that they are only required when an actual tenant is found, probably caused by the requirement that they are required at first change of tenancy. However, the law is clear and states that an EPC must be available to show to any prospective tenant.
Another area of confusion is whether energy charts need to be on lettings particulars. The law states that they are required on particulars for those properties covered by the Housing Act, which does not refer to rental properties. Therefore, charts are only required on sales particulars, but some agents are including these as a matter of course on lettings particulars.
We have found a significant interest in our 48 hour-turnaround EPC service, and in particular our use of employed assessors, which ensures we can guarantee exact appointment times. More information is available on our new website:
www.thepartnershiplimited.com/html/epclettings.html
Extending the “life” of EPCs in HIPs
Given the confusion over the validity of Energy Performance Certificates, the latest announcement from the government was a missed opportunity to simplify the position. Although EPCs are valid for ten years, currently, they can only be up to a year old when first included in a HIP. However, a recent announcement has confirmed that from October 1st, EPCs can be up to three years old when they are first included in a HIP.
Rebranding Complete
We have finished our rebranding which includes a complete overhaul of our website. The site has been designed to be more accessible for agents, solicitors and sellers, which reflects the increase we have seen from sellers looking for information about HIPs directly from us.
www.thepartnershiplimited.com
We of course welcome all feedback on our new site.
