As a landlord, are you up-to-speed with what the new boiler legislation means for you? Perhaps you have an old back boiler you’re concerned about having to replace, or want to know what to look for in your next upgrade.
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Energy Performance Certificate
As of April 2016, tenants will be entitled to ask their landlords to carry out measures recommended on their Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and the landlord will have a legal obligation to do so. From April 2018, it will be illegal to let a property which has an EPC rating below E. This means that if you have an old, inefficient boiler, it will be your obligation to upgrade this for your tenant, or before you let out the property to new tenants. It will be illegal to let a property which has an EPC rating below E.
According to Darren, a business development manager from Carshalton Boilers, “The worst offenders are old, inefficient back boilers such as fire and back boilers which are now obsolete and no longer manufactured. Rather than waiting until the new legislation forces this change upon you be prepared to replace these in the very near future. A new condensing combi boiler is one of the most attractive options for letting agents and tenants, as there is less to go wrong – it also means you can get rid of your old tanks and greatly increase your property’s energy efficiency.”
As gas boilers are one of the main sources of heat and hot water in any property this appliance will use the most gas. This means upgrading the gas boiler from an old non-condensing boiler will improve the energy rating significantly, more so than other measures like insulation and double glazing. As tenants are now very aware of this, you will find your property easier to let if you move to a more efficient unit.
Installing a combi boiler also means there is just one appliance to take care of all the heating and water, meaning there’s less to possibly go wrong. Previously, you may have had a boiler, gas fire, hot water tank and cold water tank to think about. This is attractive to tenants and letting agents as there is just one boiler and one shut down tap to isolate all the water in the property.