Grampa

Brought a flat with a perfectly acceptable EPC and rented it out. However, a couple of years later I went to print out a new document from the national EPC register and it turned out another EPC had been "done" without my knowledge which would now fail for letting purposes. Well, it turns out the people managing the freehold (only 6 units on block) were approached/applied for government funded loft insulation via a company who also did EPC's but it was only available to properties with low EPC ratings. So this company generated 6 new EPC'S without going into the flats without my knowledge so they could get the insulation work. I had to then get another EPC to bring it up to the original correct ratings. I wasn't pleased, had only an Hotmail email address for this company which I didn't receive a reply to. This is why I am very sceptical of these companies and the earlier post regarding remote EPC's just confirms why.

I have looked at a lot of these schemes over the years and this is the first I have come across that the occupiers or owners don't need to be in receipt of some form of benefits such as Universal Credit etc to get a new heating system or insulation etc. As this same person is willing to break the regulations to generate an EPC fraudulently and also having spoken to Hussein on the phone yesterday when enquiring about remote EPC's for myself (before I found out it was not possible) it sounds very dodgy. Especially when asked why it was not advertised on his website and the answer was "I only normally do it for local landlords in my area"

On its own having a reference with those questions answered doesn't have a lot of value. But with a detailed application form asking for previous landlord/agents as well and all the other stuff such as bank statements etc you can built up a bigger and better picture of the person and how they conduct their life.

Well, I have just found out that a EPC assessor when entering the details of a property on the EPC software he HAS TO/MUST tick a box to state he has visited the property. Also to take electronic photos that are GPS, date and time stamped which they have to keep in case they get audited. If they get audited the auditor will pick 5 reports at random to check and every one he finds fault with will mean another 5 reports are pulled to check. I think if they get 2 faulty one the assessor is suspended as an EPC assessor.

If I post on this site the reasons why its illegal (only if it is), maybe yes. But cross my palm with silver and I'll keep quiet,😀

I agree there is an untapped opportunity for someone. After all it wouldn't be much different to the google and FB review sites you have for businesses now. But then there could be a big reason why someone hasn't started one and if so I suspect it is the legal liability risk involved. But it only needs to ask a few yes or no questions such as the below and give a email address to discuss further if required. But even with the below info you MUST to do all the normal other checks as well but it can give a bigger picture on the suitability of the applicant. 1. Period of tenancy: From ______________ to ____________________ 2. Amount of Rent pcm: £ ____________________ 3. Did any rent arrears occur? YES / NO 4. Has all rent been paid on the correct time? YES / NO 5. Was there any disputed deposit deductions? YES / NO 6. Have you received any complaints regarding these tenants? YES / NO 7. Would you rent to this tenant again? YES / NO

I'm not so sure how legal this is and am going to dig deeper. Useful and labour saving if ok though.

What the company name CoR?

There are or have been a number of these registers out there over the years which mean the value is diluted. I am not aware of agents using them who I'm sure would do if there was a good platform out there that worked and was legal.

The trouble with noise is some people are more sensitive to it than others and some people are not suited to living in shared accommodation or flats but still choose to whether by need or circumstance. We manage a 2 bed first floor flat with owner occupiers below who manage to complain about every tenant (maybe 4/5 in the last 15 years) we house above. If its not the children running around it will be the amount of guests visiting or moving around in the early hours (bathroom visits). The Hubby has even admitted his wife is sensitive to noise and is browbeaten to do all the complaining. Didn't like it when I told him after a bad day that it was his own fault for choosing to live in a property that wasn't suitable for their living requirements.

Just write a polite general letter/email or put a notice up addressed to all residents explaining that to avoid issues between residents arising within the household can all residents please clean the bathroom after use which involves xxxxxxxxx and please be mindful of making noise that can be audible to other residents between the hours of xxx pm - xxxam. Maybe also put up a list of house rules. Also state you do not wish to get involved with any minor issues that arise between residents so they should address any problems themselves.

Depends what the issue is.

Why is it all conveyancing solicitors I deal with write or email to request the EPC when they can download it themselves from the gov website which would take the same time as to email the request to me. GRRR. Next solicitor to request it will just get the link.

Unless you have a number of properties in a Ltd Co so the corporation tax increase could apply. Granted the income would have to be over 50k to start to kick in though.

Even with the bigger agencies fees are negotiable but first you need to establish what all the fees are because as RL mentions above you could be charged extra for all number of hidden add-ons. 10%+vat is still a good rate to pay especially now agents cannot charge tenants any fees and the extra laws and regulations that have been brought in means you need a good agent and you cant cut corners on service and legislation in this industry because if the agent makes a mistake the landlord will be held legally responsible which most landlords dont realise. You can get either a cheap or a good service but rarely both unfortunately you never know how good a agent is until something goes wrong or there are issues to deal with. You could think you have the best agent in the world if by luck they found you a good tenant and no issues arose but they could be useless as soon as extra work is involved. Do your research when choosing a agent. Google and facebook reviews are a good start.

even with a lodger you need a gas cert

CoR you need to look at the paid (insured based) deposit protection scheme. I think it costs about 25-30 quid which is a one off payment and you can then hold onto the deposit funds yourself without all the silly hoop jumping. Having used both schemes (insured and custodial) the insured scheme is SO much easier to deal with and the timescales greatly reduced.

Was it a "thorough mopping" or a mopping up of a spillage? Just Asking. However, you would likely need a independent written report stating it was caused by poor fitting to counterclaim against misuse. I would suggest you contact the landlord now about the issue and not leave it until you leave.

if commercial with a tenant and lease in place investors would be looking for close to 10% return but you then have to factor in the length of the lease, is there a guarantor and quality of the tenant and that's just the bear basics

No. I dont believe you can drink the water thats why careful thought has to go on the location of the softner ie: other side of the drink taps. However, I am no expert on them so some one may say something else.

Maybe if I lived in the Carbbean. Not enough sunshine here for me.

I would like to (and could) retire now but i would need to find something to occupy my time. I dont want to be one of those people who keel over 18 months after retiring through over eating and drinking. Trouble is you spend so much of your life working it can be a bit adjustment to just stop without planning for it.

I’ll take a stab of £2000 give or take 200 quid either way depending of the brand and if the contractor is vat registered or not.

I have read somewhere landlords in some areas are now illegally evicting tenants as the financial penaties can be hughly less than the current extended legal eviction route. But you do get a crimminal conviction though.

Totally agree RL, as you say its still a good return you just have to be more diligent when picking your tenant. However, I have found landlords are questioning fees a lot more recently and see a small number wanting to now self manage as they dont see the fees charged value for money. I would say with all the law changes, penaties and hoops you have to jump through you need a managing agent more than ever.