our seller faked their EPC - is it possible?

[IamwhoIsayIam]

I've just had the EPC back for a property we are purchasing. It puts it at an A. I simply don't believe it. There is not a scrap of double glazing, it is standard gas and electric, stone built with no internal or external insulation. It is very old and has not been maintained for at least the last ten years. It has a deep cellar with bare stone and earth walls.

I have tried phoning the assessor but he is on holiday. It's ground floor only which might make a difference I guess but our current home is a D and has far more energy efficient features installed. I just don't get it!

Can these be made up? It is logged on the government website.

I suppose another question could be - does it matter?

@xxWelsh where are you getting the info from that EPC inspectors drill holes? I am really not sure they do that. Even building surveyors don't do that when you buy a house, do they?

You are right about new builds though, most would find it prohibitively expensive to be a A and are usually a B (our 11 yo rental is a C).

Also, your neighbours isn’t something to go on due to the heat loss perimeter being different - ie: you could have mid terraced which would only have 2 heat loss walls in comparison to 3 heat loss walls in and end terrace.

going off what you’ve said, my partner estimates it’s an E rating or less

Pretty sure no-ones gonna drill holes and spend a minimum of two hours onsite for 60 quid, which is what I've seen quoted. Are there different types of EPC certificate?

EPCs aren’t worth the PDF they are saved as.

Absolutely manipulated worthless shite.

Have you got evidence for this?

@Fallenangelofthenorth my partner is retrofit and dea - the EPC is a shortened version of a retrofit. For a retrofit you HAVE to spend minimum of 2 hours on site drilling and Boriscoping but the price then does increase!

Yes on food hygiene. Yes I reported it. No, nothing happened.
on Electrical Installation Condition Roports, yes frequently. Yes i reported it. Ditto.
On EPC, no, I don't have evidence. But I suspect it.

@KievLoverTwo im getting the information from my partner who DOES IT FOR A LIVING! as a retrofit assessor (not a building surveyor) they have to drill to check cavity insulation - so yes, a very reliable source!

Ah ok, so an EPC is less accurate then I guess? I'm interested because I also have an old house I'll be looking to sell in the next few years which I'd hope wouldn't be unsaleable.

I think you're not talking about EPC certification though, but something else entirely? A more detailed report from what I can gather, rather than the EPC needed for sale?

@Fallenangelofthenorth he said at the moment properties have to be an E rating or above to rent out (it’s going to increase to a C or D soon) however, to sell its any rating it would just effect pricing etc.

@Fallenangelofthenorth epc is government requirement, retrofit would be needed on government funded schemes where things are getting installed - ALTHOUGH they are trying to push it across the board for any installation.

ie: a plumber can go in and rip a boiler out and replace it, they are looking to change it so every property needs retrofit assessing before anything can be changed.

@Fallenangelofthenorth as I said my partner does both certifications - they are really going to start tightening up for net zero targets and back to this post, evidence is key so the surveyor still would have had to evidence everything before submitting the rating.

They do make assumptions - but when they do so it normally states on the certificate.

For example on mine it says cavity wall insulation (assumed).

I suspect any house getting an A rating when it is in fact a D/E/F is going to need to have things stated on the cert that are blatantly untrue as A is a hard rating to get.

Which is why anyone trying to rerate their house as an A when in fact it is a D/E/F is stupid, because it is completely obvious that it is not an A.

You might get away with bumping say a D/E up to a C. Which is why it is far more likely an admin error. If it is something dodgy then its been done by someone really stupid.

@xxWelsh the government’s proposal to force LL’s to get their rentals to a C was unceremoniously canned last week with not even a future date mooted.

Sounds like you are getting confused. The OP is talking about EPC assessments for ratings certs. Your OH is more advanced with what they do.

@KievLoverTwo well if the OP is in doubt she can complain to trustmark who are the governing bodies and if they think it’s dodgy they have been known to send out they’re own auditors to carry out the assessment.

he does both so yeah can get a bit confusing however, sooner or later retrofits will be brought in whether it’s been recently mooted or not - net zero is a massive campaign at the moment.

@KievLoverTwo ive just told my partner about the C rating for LL being canned - he said in all fairness it’s pretty hard pushed to do that and doesn’t make sense cos like where we live in wales is full of old properties - unless the LL spent thousands on it then it wouldn’t happen.

i do still think tho there will be massive changes to renting properties soon.

It’s super hard to get A, we brought a brand new home from a local builder who is excellent. All B rated and I asked how to get to an A and it sounded difficult, it’s so much more on top of double glazing and loft installation

Another thing to consider...depending on where you live. Alot of grants available are governed by your EPC certificate. So having an inaccurate one could affect any grants you may wish to apply for. It's well worth getting one done yourself if you go ahead with the purchase. It could definitely be worthwhile just for that reason alone.

Our 5 year old new build is (high) B - with double glazing, solar, etc.

There's no way old build can be A

This is a serious issue for selling on also, a lot of mortgage lenders won't lend on anything below a C depending on LTV.

All applications must have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rated E or above, or a valid exemption. For applications above 75% LTV, the property must have an EPC rated C or above. Applications on properties which don't meet this criteria will be declined.

It's important to know what you're buying and also reselling at some point in future.

Similar here - 3 year old house, insulated and double glazed with an air source heat pump. That was a B

Adding solar panels took it to an A.

Yes it's possible. When I rented out my flat and had the EPC fella come round I asked him whether people are dodgy about this and he said it can be done and is done. It doesn't cost much to get one done yourself and if you're that worried about it then do it yourself.

Ive never even looked at this rating when buying a house. You can sort any issues when you are in it, Its not rocket science to have an idea about the heating perfomance etc.

https://energy-trust.co.uk/training-courses/29-docea-distance-learning-4-day/