Energy Peformance Certificate - Do I need to get another one?

[bodminman]

Morning all and happy fathers day to those that are fathers!

 

Over the few weeks me and the wife have been discussing whether or not to sell our house and move to a location that is more convenient for work, the little ones school and our social life. So in the middle of last week we decided to go ahead and get some estate agents in to do the valuations etc and the one query I had was that when we purchased the house 18 months ago the house had an EPC and therefor do we really need to be forking out money to get the same piece of paper back?

 

2 agents said that we would need to purchase another one as the certificate belonged to the owners of the house at the time the certificate was issued,

 

2 agents said we didn't need to get another certificate as the certificate belonged to the house and not the individual.

 

Does anyone know which statement is correct?

 

Thanks in antisipation

[featured_spectre]

Cert belongs to the house not to the individual, much like a boiler belongs to the house.

[bodminman]

Thanks Nephilim. That's approx £60+vat saved then!

[synaesthesia]

Also a very good indication of which 2 estate agents not to touch with a bargepole, and make sure you tell them why.

"If you want to sell my house, I want to be assured you know what you're doing. You don't, therefore you don't get my business" And then make sure you twitter/facebook about it to give them a little publicity to that effect

[bodminman]

LOL - I'll politely be declining there assistance with selling my house along with the reason why.

 

Also, I can't believe how much the fees vary between the agents. 2 were at 1.5%, 1 at 1.75% and 1 at 2%. We're going to go with the one that's 1.75% but we managed to knock them down to 1.5% as we used to rent a property through them.

[AMLinington]

As a first time buyer, the EPC hasn't really played a massive part in our decision as any issues with loft insulation (the insulation in our new loft is pretty much non-existent and shredded to oblivion) and double glazing (a few of the window units are blown and they are about 12 years old so they're not the standard thickness now) are points for price negotiation. So often the lower the EPC the poorer the insulation and the older the windows - the windows in the house we're buying are pretty much dead but the house is a steal at the price we're paying for it.

 

The only thing I would say on the EPC subject is that if you have made changes to the house - re-insulated the loft, replaced all or part of the glazing or upgraded the central heating system etc etc this will have an impact on the EPC score so as a seller it may be worth you having another one done (but only if you have made any changes to the house that might affect it's energy rating) as if your house is MORE energy efficient now than it was when you bought it, then it means potential buyers have less to 'complain about' and less excuses to ask for money off. It works both ways. As a buyer, a lower EPC works in your favour, especially where things like UPVC windows are concerned, as a seller a higher EPC works for you. So I guess it depends what sort of rating the house had when you bought and whether you have made any changes that might affect it.

[pcstru]

2 agents said that we would need to purchase another one as the certificate belonged to the owners of the house at the time the certificate was issued,

 

2 agents said we didn't need to get another certificate as the certificate belonged to the house and not the individual.

 

Does anyone know which statement is correct?

 

Neither. Houses can't 'own' things - only people can 'own' things. The EPC 'belongs' to the previous owners and you would need their permission if you wanted to use it, but if they agree there is no reason you can't use it.

 

On fees : I've generally found agents are willing to negotiate. I've tied ours to a sliding scale, the more we get for the house, the higher the % (ranging from 0.75% to 1.5%). I've previously tied % to how fast they sell (but you need to show willing and (at least persuade them) that you are not going to ask too much).