Central Heating Instal Grant (Free)

[Carryon Regardless]

Talking to EPC chap (previous thread), he states that any property that is in a habitable state that doesn't already have central heating can have this fitted free.

No need for claimants as T's, no cost to LL.

If anyone has such a property it might be of interest.

 

[Richlist]

Finding a habitable property that does not have central heating fitted must be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

[Carryon Regardless]

Ah, but you're Southern. Up 'ere we're just past 'avin to go out t' lavvy in't night lad. The jo po steaming under bed was warming but a bit smelly.

I reckon it's only us loosing the coalman that stopped Sunday bath night in front of fire. A black man was just last one in't bath.

[Richlist]

I don't venture much past Watford Gap these days so the people up north are certainly entitled to think they've been missing out.

It begs the question as to the definition of central heating.......we all know a gas or oil fired boiler & rads is,  but what about properties with

* A coup!e of night storage heaters. ?

* A wood burning stove with a couple of fitted electric fires. ?

* Is electric heating every considered to be central heating ?

 

 

[Carryon Regardless]

I personally have no issues with a North  / South divide. London is the natural centre of the universe and so will create and receive the vast majority of intentional business. It follows that a migration of commerce from there will remain closer to it.

I visit with some regularity and enjoy the tourism like all them forinors. The prices are somewhat eye watering and the traffic reminds me of the advantages of up 'ere.

As far as central heating. I get the impression it is gas fired wet systems that are considered to be such. something at odds with trying to outlaw the use of gas systems soon enough. But these initiatives and ever changing policies are beyond my ability to understand, so I merely, but often reluctantly, must take them as presented. While looking in a different direction is seemingly the designed fashion. 

 

[Grampa]

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"

 

[Carryon Regardless]

The same.

His promotion of this was a surprise to me also. The conversation wasn't going to take up too much time as it has no value to me. But if we need interrogate everything we come across  our progress screeches to a halt.  And an issue might well be that it is beyond our means to understand where the flaws are.

Speaking to another Welsh LL and she was already aware of online EPC's. It could be that this is widespread. Certainly on the EPC's I see no detrimental outcome. I haven't met a T that knows of EPC's let alone wants the information. Come to that I haven't heard of a LL that sees them as beneficial. My perception is we tick boxes to cover our butts often. 

[Richlist]

1 hour ago, Grampa said:

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.

 

About 10-12 years ago there was a Gov' scheme, I can't remember what it was called, that offered free supply & installation of loft insulation up to 12 inches thick. At the time I had the usually 4 inches in the loft at my own home so filled in the forms to apply. A guy turned up and told me I didn't have to be on any kind of benefit or credits to have the work done.  I was earning big money at the time and could not believe that I could get this done for free. I didn't take up the offer but did the work myself.

 

[Carryon Regardless]

Longer than that I had a T that was organising loft  and cavity wall insulation. As well as solar panel installations. I approved 2 houses for loft but nowt else, and told him not to have it laid as I would prepare the lofts and wrap the insulation to keep dust down.

Being on commission he arranged cavity wall, I had to move fast to stop him / them drilling the flats when I heard as the flats already had it.

He had the garage filled with more loft insulation than anyone would need.

All at no cost but I was still sorry i trusted him.

He absconded leaving his g'friend to resolve issues, then as my flats became mt they mysteriously had the electric accounts moved to some new organisation he had been pushing.

To add insult I was later approached for a reference for him.

 

[Melboy]

My Son comes across some of these grant awarded boiler/central heating installations and I will leave it up to you to form your own opinions on what he saw and how he has to charge landlords and private owners to put things right.

[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.  

[Richlist]

Yes that does sound particularly annoying. But sometimes you have to balance the cost of putting it right (a new EPC) vs the cost & effort in chasing the firm that did the dirty deed.