There is currently a lot of press coverage about landlords having to ensure their property meet a minimum EPC rating from 1 April 2018. Please note that this legislation doesn’t apply to Scotland. Scotland is a bit further behind England and Wales in this respect. The Scottish Government consulted on plans to introduce a similar requirement last year and we are expecting legislation setting out a minimum EPC requirement to be drafted and laid before parliament later this year. We do not yet know what EPC rating the legislation will require, although the proposal consulted on was to set the standard at E initially, rising to D after 5 years. The consultation proposed various exemptions (including one for works which require conservation area/listed building consent where that consent is not given) and a cost cap of £5000 per property. It is likely that there will be a lead in time of at least two years before any legislation comes into force in Scotland.
With thanks to the Scottish Association of Landlords for this update.
Meanwhile, the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers has been in discussion with Building Standards and Scottish Government for some time regarding the introduction of a requirement for all self-catering units to have an Energy Performance Certificate, and for the EPC rating to be identified on all advertisements.
The ASSC has serious concerns regarding the unintended consequences surrounding this new legislation and the potentially significant impact it may have on the self-catering sector in Scotland.
The ASSC considers that the withdrawal of exemption for EPCs to be disproportionate and unreasonable and believes that the Scottish Government should clarify that an exemption should be granted for short-term holiday lets in terms of compliance with the Energy Performance Certificate, as occurs in several other European Union Member States.
Overall, we contend that the notion of an EPC on short-term holiday lets is both impractical, unnecessary and potentially damaging to tourism business. The Scottish Government should be looking to maximise the opportunities for our tourist economy and not impose unnecessary burdens on the holiday let industry.