Would you buy a property with EPC rating D-G

[onlychildhamster]

I posted earlier about potentially buying the flat next door for extra living space/future retirement income when we no longer need the space or need the income (only 2 flats on top floor) and got good feedback. My flat (as well as the flat next door are both EPC D (1930s flats) though apparently both can be improved to C). But even if I don't do this, most of the housing stock in my area is old and EPC D.

Bearing in mind that banks may be looking at EPC when giving out mortgages, would any of you buy a property with EPC D and below. Firstly only 40% of properties are EPC C and above so that does restrict choice...

The government are introducing a green mortgage scheme so in the future, it may be difficult to sell

@kieronsmum even if it's improved to C?

I don't really see many existing properties in my area with c.though a lot of the flats in my development are currently c, just not mine or the flat next door.

Majority of houses built before 1950 are EPC D or below. I'm currently buying a 1930's semi which is EPC D, with potential to move to B.

The EPC rating wasn't a factor in buying it, as it's typical of houses where I am, and I plan to be there at least 20 years. It'll probably be a different story when I eventually sell it though!

EPC's are a nonsense. No borrowing or letting or anything official should rely on these.
We live in a close of identical houses which all have different EPC's based on a lot of assumptions with conflicting advice about improvements.
Change all your lightbulbs and you'll go up a grade.

Exactly as @BluTangClan says. So many assumptions made to make them meaningless. Only time you'd need it to be a certain rating is it needs to be an E to let out, though even then the criteria is ridiculous: my flat in a listed building had an F, and the inspector made suggestions such as 'double glazing' (no, it's a listed building), and night storage heaters when I had much more efficient infra red heating (he said there's no box for that!!). He then said if I had a night meter I'd get enough points to move it to grade E - sure enough I did (though why didn't he spot that)? And as the heating didn't work that way it was immaterial, but it ticked a box.

@maofteens but could it be let out. Most flats are bought as BTL these days esp in London, even those who buy it to live in often end up letting it out for various reasons. So i can imagine it can be limiting to have a flat with an EPC that prevents it from being let out.

Sadly the same can be said for terraces- a lot of the cheaper terraces in my area (zone 3 london) would be professional flat shares in future rather than the family homes they are now- it has already happened to my MIL's street as they are near a university.

I've looked at several EPC's as part of viewing properties on Rightmove and get the strong impression that the EPC rating is a broad-brush measure, but isn't fully reliable. Lots of assumptions stated on the existence or absence of insulation, same features, e.g. double glazing, rated differently by different assessors, similar properties with similar features receiving different ratings.

The potential EPC is often nonsense because of the level of investment required to achieve it.

@eightlivesdown Some flats in my block are C, some D. So i guess C can be achieved. I hear you about the investment, but if my mortgage is linked to it, i don't really have a choice, right.

Some suggested improvements are cheap and sensible, e.g. LCD light bulbs. Others require spending £10,000 to save £50.

You can look at the EPC certificates for the C and D flats and see what (if anything) is different to get an idea of what's required to get a C.

[find-energy-certificate.digital.communities.gov.uk/find-a-certificate/search-by-postcode?lang=en&property_type=domestic]

We had a flat which we let out. Had to get it rated. Had to get it rated again when we sold, about 6 years later. It had dropped a grade. Reason given was that it wasn't "fully double glazed" because the front door was solid wood. Yes, the same front door we'd had 6 years earlier.

Some of the payback times for the suggested improvements were ridiculous - the things they suggested we install would have needed replaced before we had recovered the costs.

The EPC scheme is a reasonably good idea but not in its current form.

I would consider it definitely. In fact I think most of the houses I viewed were a D or below. Bumping them up with the easy wins of LED bulbs is easy enough

EPC is a nonsense. In our last house we put in gshp at great expense, our neighbours all had oil heating and they were graded as B when we were a C!!
In our current listed house which is F there are useful suggestions like adding double glazing or external or internal wall cladding none of which can be done due to the listing.
Plus would probably knacker the airflow required in older houses.
We have done secondary glazing and draught proofed the hell out of the house but I don’t think any of that would even be recognised by an epc despite it making a huge difference! Box ticking bollocks
So yes I bought a house with epc f and am in process of making it cosy and much more efficient

We didnt even consider it to be a potential issue.

I would (and am!). Many improvements to environment impact can be made relatively cheaply (bulbs, loft insulation, appliances, etc) without upheaval, others can be made as and when you redecorate (eg floor insulation, thick curtains), other improvements when existing heating /render/etc are at end of life.

The environmental cost of demolishing old buildings and replacing with new means that IMO there’s no way it’s an environmentally effective policy to discourage people from buying pre-1950’s properties.

It is looking like properties for letting will need to be a C from 2025 for new tenancies and 2028 for existing.

Therefore, if buying to let, look for a C to save some efforts and cash. They last 10 years.

If buying to live in, don't worry about it.

I sold a house with an EPC of F. The assessor said it was for one reason only...I had LPG heating. He said however wonderful every other measure was, that one thing put the house into F regardless.

That's daft Fuzzy. Some places are off the mains gas grid, so have LPG or oil. Not a lot you can do about that.

@thegcatsmother

That's daft Fuzzy. Some places are off the mains gas grid, so have LPG or oil. Not a lot you can do about that.

Exactly.

I think ours was an F when we bought it, though we've done a lot to it since in terms of insulation. You really can't compare them, the ratings are often lower just because the assessor can't or won't look in the loft. Our last house was rated lower because the assessor said our loft being boarded meant he had to assume there was no insulation because he couldn't see it. Below the boarding there was a full, thick layer of modern insulation.

I would bear in mind if it was a 'low D' or a 'high D' score. A high D can often be tipped into a C very easily with led bulbs, heating programmer/stat or trv's. Is it ground/mid/top floor?
Properties in the same street may look identical, but it's what is in them that also decides the rating. I'm semi detached, the door from my hall into the garage is a standard internal door, so the garage is included in the assessment. My neighbours don't have a hall door into the garage and therefore scores much higher for the 'identical' property.

It wouldn’t put me off in the slightest.
I think that the house we’ve just purchased is an F!
We’ll make the house as warm and efficient as we can, like another poster, a lot of the criteria seems daft and a tick in a box.

I bought an old house with an F, since come down to a D although nearly a c so could push it over with lightbulbs.