As Cornerstones are currently acting as your agents, we wish to inform you of recent changes in the law, which will certainly affect most homeowners currently trying to rent their properties.
The Government has recently decided that as of1st October 2008 ALL properties being offered for rental in the UK will be required to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regardless of when the property came for sale.
If you have already got a Home Information Pack (HIP)you do not need to act, as your HIP will already automatically include the EPC.The EPC is a survey (which can only be prepared by a qualified Energy Assessor) which measures the energy efficiency of a property (it will give an A-G energy efficiency rating similar to those found on new products such as fridges etc) and includes an Environmental Impact Rating which measures the amount of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) produced by your property. The regulations say that the EPCs will now last for 10 years.
The ratings (which must be displayed on our sales particulars) will give the current reading and the highest possible reading achievable by the property, and are standard so that buyers can directly compare the energy efficiency of one property with another. It is generally felt that acting on the recommendations in the EPC will cut energy consumption, save money on bills and help to safeguard the environment. Owners who put their property for sale before the relevant dates will not be required at this time to get a full Home Information Pack on their place (although the rules on this may well change in future) and will NOT have to stop marketing the property while the EPC is being prepared.
The regulations make it clear that that the responsibility to arrange these EPCs lies with the owners and NOT THE AGENT we can arrange to have an EPC carried out with our Energy. The fine for property owners not complying will be £200 per property, enforceable via local Trading Standards officers.If you have your property for rent with more than one agent, you will obviously need to make sure that all the agents are informed of the results of the survey.
Around 80 cycling enthusiasts braved autumnal weather conditions at 8 am on Sunday morning at Gelli Aur, on the Inaugural Merlin Ride covering up to 100km around East Carmarthenshire. Greeted and promoted by Welsh Assembly Ministers Rhodri Glyn Thomas and Jane Davidson, said they were excited by the prospect that Wales would be at the forefront of championing such healthy activities, combining keeping fit and enjoying beautiful scenery and landscapes at the same time and believed the event would go from strength to strength.
