olivia

Exactly my thinking. We have had these in the UK since 2007 they last 10 years. There is no obligation to improve a property that comes up with a bad report. It is only information for a prospective buyer or tenant as you say a bad report won't kill them it might affect getting a mortgage. It is an EU directive forced upon Spain to comply. I guess it will have created some jobs if nothing else. Gas Safety is far more important and Electrical to a degree [watch out PAT testing next]. Less than £100 for EPC in UK. Had one recently. Speaking as a UK landlord.

Mitzyboy

I'm having one done tomorrow. There was nothing said about having to have it done to rent properties, as previously mentioned on this thread. Its for anyone selling their property. You don't have to do work on your property as a result of it, its just what you get in the UK where it forms part of the sale particulars and is extra information for the buyer. Cost is €275

bobd22

Mitzy I had an e mail from someone yesterday they didn't know anything about this and had a message from their estate agent saying they have to get one they were also told that you need one to rent out a property as well?

Fred James

Spain is clamping down on unregistered holiday lets and imposing big fines if you try to let without the proper paperwork and controls.

The EPC is just one part of the requirements .

It has been discussed in this thread.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=794839

olivia

That is a RIP OFF

bobd22

I came across this link which makes mention of selling and long term lets?
http://www.latorreonline.es/index.ph...e-certificates

bobd22

It's the same as the one in the UK like you say a load of rubbish especially as when we had one in the UK they were most interested in things like double glazing and loft insulation well any insulation in oldish Spanish Town house will be a first. Mind in the UK one way of improving your score (might help you Mitzy) is by having no ordinary light bulbs but all energy saving ones! In the UK we paid for a HIP's then week later Tories out of the blue did away with them and you just needed energy certificate about 1/4 the price of HIP's I was not very happy.

snikpoh

I posted a link to the law some time back; basically, you can NOT complete on a house sale without one. The notary's have been given strict instructions.

The EPC/CEE is also for rented properties of more than 49 m2 and which is rented for more than 4 months per year.

Mitzy, your price is VERY reasonable! Prices quoted for a 3 or 4 bed villa (generally based on size) are around 500 - 600 plus IVA.

The cheapest I've seen is 165 euros plus IVA for a one bed apartment/studio flat.

Mitzyboy

Villa down the road have just been approved for holiday lets and are now registered. They have no energy certificate, nor do they have gates to the pool area ... figure that one out!

Well, its the price you have to pay. I have no idea if you really need one for holiday lets as well

Have LED's in many rooms, and energy bulbs, but to be honest Ive got a feeling that no one is going to give a toss about my rating when (and if) they buy the place

When you say rented more than 4 months of the year, does that mean the minimum one month rental thing has gone by the wayside and people can ren by the week or fortnight if you are registered? If I rented mine, it would only be for June July August anyway

bobd22

Have LED's in many rooms, and energy bulbs, but to be honest Ive got a feeling that no one is going to give a toss about my rating when (and if) they buy the place


Yes exactly just a way of making money no one is interested in them whatsoever. Mind they seem to be much more expensive in Spain than in the UK.

olivia

In UK the price has been regulated downwards by fierce competition to do them. Some agents have them done and hold the charge till the house is sold. That rather ties you to one agent but saves outlay of your own cash.

Domino

can't really see how the type of lamp used is going to make alot of difference if for example in a rental the tenant changes them out to something else.
that really has to be a "lifestyle" thing

more should be made of insulation etc

olivia

You got It! Exactly! that's why this legislation is rubbish. Only makes money for those doing the surveys. The prices being quoted on here are way too much.

bobd22

Dom I mentioned the lamps because that in the Uk gets you higher marks. Our old house that we sold was built in the 1600's had solid stone walls at least 3 ft thick we dropped points? no cavity wall insulation! The whole thing is a joke. When HIP's first came out I knew people that took a career break from the police to become surveyors for them there was that much money to be made. Mind soon came back when they got rid of the HIP's.

BUGS

I don't want to get into trouble with the meds, but if you look at this site it has everything you need to know about the energy certs explained in plain English. It has been put together by an architect, a technical architect, and two civil engineers who are all registered assessors. It has been checked over by a reputable Lawyer and is as up to date and current as it can be. There is a lot of confusion regarding the energy certs so hopefully this should clear some of it up. Prices in Spain are a lot higher than the UK because only architects, technical architects and civil engineers can issue the certificates. It is also because of the previously mentioned HIPS in the UK. Lots of people paid a lot of money to become HIPS assessors, however when it was scrapped the only part that was kept was the energy certificate. This meant lots of people trained to carry out HIPS went over to doing the energy certs hence the huge competition and the price drop. The UK is currently the cheapest place in Europe to get an energy cert. Sweden, Germany, Italy and lots of other countries are the same price if not more expensive than Spain. The site with the info is
www.energy-performance-certificates-in-spain.com
There is a lot of information on there that should help clear up the confusion surrounding the EPC. The certificates probably won't make a difference or influence people looking to buy or rent, but they are required by law. If somebody finds a house and falls in love with it, they are not going to pass on it because it costs a bit more to run that one they don't like.