From 15th June 2025 – Sunday – it is time to get ready for new-style assessments when it comes to your Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs).
If you’re a landlord or a property seller here in Edgware, it’s something to be aware of (and to take a couple of measures, possibly, should you need to).
Don’t worry; I’m not here to scare or dazzle you with yet another acronym, today – and this change is essentially just a bit of a tweak to one part of the compliance side of things when it comes to the sales marketing or letting process.
Nevertheless, if you are a landlord due to take out a new EPC on a property to let out in Edgware, or if you are looking to sell your property in North London and will be getting on with that after June 15th, then as a local property expect here in Edgware I thought it would be useful to let you know what’s changing, why it matters, and what you can do to avoid your energy rating taking a potential nosedive.
What exactly is an EPC?
If you’re already an existing landlord, or if you’ve sold a property in the last 18 years or so, you should already know what an EPC is.
As mentioned earlier, it is an ‘Energy Performance Certificate’. It rates how energy efficient a property is, grading from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient). It is carried out by a qualified Domestic Energy Assessor, and it looks at things like insulation, heating systems, glazing, and energy use.
It also provides suggestions for how to improve low energy efficiency performance.
Any seller or landlord requires a valid EPC to sell or let out a property; furthermore, it is a requirement for marketing, not something to complete ‘after the fact’.
They should be visibly displayed on sales marketing, and tenants have a right to see an EPC before they move in; indeed, it is part of the prescribed information that should be provided to a tenant when the tenancy is executed – at pain of invalidating any Section 21 Notice if one has not been provided along with other key documents. This is whilst Section 21 exists, of course… all change in the Renters Rights Bill when it comes in, something I’ve written about before, here and no doubt will again!).
For landlords, it’s more than just a legal requirement – it affects your property’s appeal, running costs, and in some cases, whether you’re allowed to let a property out at all.
So, what EPC changes are coming in?
The way that EPCs are calculated is getting a shake up. To get technical, we’re moving from RdSAP 2012 to RdSAP 10… which I realise sounds like so much jargon, so let me set out what the change means for you.
It essentially comes down to getting a more detailed and accurate picture of a property’s energy efficiency.
Thus far, EPC assessors have often made assumptions about energy performance if the appropriate information was unavailable from the householder. No paperwork for that fancy new boiler? Let’s assume it is a bog-standard one. Can’t confirm if your walls are cavity insulated? Well, let’s mark them down as uninsulated.
As you can imagine, it hasn’t done many landlords many favours in many cases – especially those who have actually invested good money in the property.
The new method means assessors will be asking more questions and collecting more data… but also, they will be requiring more proof.
It will mean more paperwork for you, you will be unsurprised to learn…
But theoretically it should result in a fairer rating that actually reflects what your property has to offer – and there could be benefits in rental value uplift and, ultimately, greater inherent value in the bricks and mortar whenever it is that you might come to sell or to remortgage.
What kind of details will EPC assessors now need?
Assessors will now be collecting or verifying:
- The type and condition of your windows (glazing and frames)
- Your boiler’s make and model, as well as its efficiency rating
- Evidence of insulation (walls, loft, floors)
- What sort of heating controls you’ve got – including any smart systems
- Whether you’ve got things like solar panels, waste water heat recovery or mechanical ventilation – and if not, could they potentially be installed in your property to improve its rating in the future
In short: if it affects heat loss or energy use, they want to know about it… in more detail than they have done thus far. Without paperwork however, if you can’t prove what energy efficiency benefits you have made through works undertaken, they may default to an assumption that brings the score in lower than your property deserves.
So what’s the risk?
If you’ve had an EPC done in the past and scored, say, a C – don’t assume that’ll hold up under the new regime. You might find your rating drops if you can’t provide the right documentation. And if you’re managing a portfolio, or looking to refinance, that could be a real spanner in the works – especially if your property is hovering on ‘E’ – the legal minimum – and changes to calculation methods knock it down to ‘F’. At that stage, the property can’t be let.
That said, it’s not all doom and gloom. Properties that were previously penalised – particularly mid-terrace homes and flats that benefit from heat retention – might actually see their scores improve. The new model takes more account of thermal mass and actual heat loss areas, so it’s more accurate overall.
Will EPC assessments now cost more?
In a word: yes. I’m afraid it does look that way, from the correspondence we have received from domestic energy assessors.
The extra detail now required under RdSAP 10 means that assessors will be spending longer on site, taking more measurements, cross-referencing more evidence, and – in many cases – will require not only new tools but additional training to meet the new standards.
Unfortunately, that kind of uplift in work naturally comes with a price tag. We have been advised that EPC assessments are likely to cost at least 30% more going forward.
But on the other hand, bitter as that pill is to swallow, in theory – done properly – it is not just paying for a piece of paper; it is paying for accuracy, and a report that can genuinely help inform upgrades, access grants, and improve future compliance.
What do we recommend?
At Petermans, we’re already speaking to our landlords about getting their ducks in a row. Here’s what we’re advising:
- Get your paperwork together. That means invoices, installation records, user manuals, certificates – anything that proves what’s been fitted and when. If your boiler was swapped in the last ten years, find the paperwork.
- Take photos – inside and out. Assessors may need to see your windows, insulation access points, thermostats and controls, or even loft insulation. If you can’t show it on the day, they’ll go with the lowest likely rating.
- Speak to your managing agent. An agent like ourselves at Petermans in Edgware can help you prepare, connect you with trusted EPC assessors, and make sure you’re putting your best foot forward when it comes to the assessment.
Why it matters
An EPC isn’t just a box-ticking exercise – but perhaps that is how they have been treated, and this change is in part designed to tighten things up and underline the importance in them.
I have to say, our own observation from an Agency point of view, is that tenants are more energy-aware than ever, and a low EPC rating can absolutely affect how attractive your property is. And of course, there are already minimum energy rating requirements for letting a property – as mentioned earlier, nothing less than an E rating… but bear in mind, although still not guaranteed, this is set to tighten up to ‘nothing less than a C rating’, in 2030. It might get kicked down the road again – it has done once already – but on the other hand, it might nevertheless be prudent to start thinking how to get those properties in shape, if you are sitting on a D or E…
Mortgage lenders are also tightening up – a property’s energy rating could be the difference in a mortgage offer being made or being held back.
It’s also a step towards net-zero – and I think, whether everyone adheres to net-zero as a policy or not, we can probably say that generally speaking we all tend to agree that the more environmentally friendly we can be the better.
At the end of the day, your EPC is a public document. It affects your marketability, your compliance, and potentially your returns. So yes, the new rules mean more legwork – but they’re also a chance to take stock and make sure your property is performing.
If you’re a landlord in Edgware and you’re not sure where to start, give us a call. We’ll talk you through what’s needed – no nonsense, no jargon, and no unnecessary panic.