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Services For Landlords by Landlords

LANDLORDS -  Hi to everyone at the LANDLORDS OPEN DAY  -The special offer of £55 per EPC (no vat) at the show will remain on offer for the whole of JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2010 

LETTING AGENTS - We have already secured preferred EPC provider for several agents.                      Please contact us for information of our special offers! 

We provide Energy Performance Certificates or a complete HIPS package

EPCs £65 (no vat) any property

Selling your house?
We provide a prompt , reliable service to householders, landlords, solicitors, estate agents and letting agents. The work will be carried out by a City & Guilds qualified Assessor, fully insured and registered. We are also able to arrange a complete HIPs package if required, using local solicitors.

HOME INFORMATION PACKS- ONLY £219 + VAT  (In conjunction with 7 Side hips provider)

**Deferred payment available (Charges do not include conveyancing)

ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATES- offered at £65 (no vat) all size properties Solicitors, Estate Agents and Hip providers please contact us for further competitive rates. We look forward to hearing from you. Contact us at hips4landlords@hotmail.com or select Contacts tabs for further information.

Many Landlords are still unaware of the new legislation surrounding Energy Performance Certificates, leaving them at risk of incurring fines. Since 1st October landlords are legally required to provide all new tenants with Energy Performance Certificates, but research found that over half of the UK's landlords were unaware of the changes. 

^{If a landlord fails to comply with the regulations a £200 fine may be enforceable and the landlord could be prohibited from advertising the property, resulting in needless void periods. John Heron of Paragon, the lender responsible for the research, commented "Making sure you have an EPC in place early will reduce the threat of void periods, as well as avoiding the possibility of an expensive fine. The Government has targeted domestic energy use as a way of reducing carbon emissions and landlords have to play their part."}

Many of the landlords that are aware of the change welcome it, believing that energy efficient properties would have a positive effect on tenancy duration. The National Landlords Association believes that the energy efficiency of a house could determine whether a tenant changes residence. If bills are too high or the property does not stay warm then tenants may look to move on sooner.

The research also revealed that landlords are also unaware of the tax allowance available to improve the energy performance of their properties. Over one in five landlords had not heard of the Landlord Energy Saving Allowance (LESA), a scheme that allows them to claim up to £1,500 of their tax return against the cost of buying and installing items such as cavity insulation.

The Housing Act 2004 introduced the concept of HIPs (Home Information Packs) for all property sales. Included in this is the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and now the legislation has been extended to cover the provision of an EPC for any new tenancy created.

The landlord will have to provide an EPC before the commencement of a new tenancy. In principle, this is intended to give tenants the opportunity to compare rental properties and pick those considered most energy-efficient and cheapest to run. The EPC will check boiler efficiency, lighting, insulation and other items affecting energy performance.

The average cost of an Energy Performance Certificate is around £85 and it is valid for ten years. This means that you will not be required to obtain another certificate should your tenant leave after six months – the current certificate will suffice.

Will you require a certificate for each letting? A House in Multiple Occupation is exempt from the requirement for an EPC, so if rooms are let on individual contracts you do not require an EPC. If however, your house is let on a single contract, e.g. to a university, then an EPC is required. Each flat and house let on a single tenancy also requires an EPC.

Hips4landlords.com charges £65 (no VAT) for an EPC, with special rates for landlords with more properties and for Letting Agents who can supply a competitive rate to landlords as part of their lettings service. The charge is regardless of the size of the property, and this will includes lodgement with the online registry, Landmark, for instant download. We cover the South Wales area. For further information, to place an order or just to keep up with latest developments, go to our web site on www.hips4landlords.com