Is there something dodgy about this Energy Performance Certificate?

[tugawar]

I was about to rent a flat that was advertised as having an EPC rating of C, but I checked the gov.uk website and found it was actually an F, therefore illegal to rent out. I queried it with the landlord. He said that was an old EPC done prior to work carried out, so he got someone round the next day to do a new EPC, and now it's rated D. However not much has changed - the proportion of energy efficient lightbulbs has increased from 75% to 100%, and TRVs have been added to the radiators, nothing more. The windows are still single glazed. A neighbouring flat is also rated D, with all the same features, except it is double glazed.

Does this sound dodgy? e.g. has he maybe paid someone a backhander to give the flat a favourable rating?

sometimes it only takes a few changes to bring a rating up. very much doubt a backhander is involved - they get audited. the new epc should be on the website though.

Is that legislation in active now.

I didnt think it had started yet.

I thought they could rent out any EPC property currently.

The minimum rating for renting out a property in the UK is currently an E.

I found the smoking gun - it has changed from a top floor flat (with a 'very poor' roof) to a ground floor flat (for which the very poor roof is not applicable to the rating).

Hopefully it was an innocent mistake that will soon be corrected, and that it will only drop down to an E, not an F, but let's see!

If it has a poor rating it will have very high energy bills. Can you not find a flat with a better EPC rating?

Light bulbs and TRVs will not bring a rating from an F to a C. Also if its not on the website its not been lodged.

A new gas central heating boiler is likely to upgrade the property to a D rating.
But it's done on a points based system and is likely to only just scrape into this category without double glazing.

When we were selling our house.

We needed an EPC Certificate.

The guy did it, but lodged it for the wrong address. We had a similar address to street nearby. Same road name, but our town was a smaller village, but very close, so very common for letters to go to the wrong place.

I brought this up to him and he lodged it for our address. But the other one is also still up but completely wrong details for the house.

I personally think they are rubbish. A previous terraced property had low heating bills, but they suggested solar panels and a wind turbine and a break even time of 25yrs!!!

I recently moved from a flat which was surrounded on all sides, and only had windows at either end. It was so incredibly hot in the summer that we had an air conditioner and in the winter, could count on one hand using the heating. We got an E, despite double glazing and more efficient heating that the old storage heaters- which apparently would have given a higher rating. The EPC guy even agreed that the whole system is bonkers and makes no sense at all!

I hope you get it sorted.