Landlords forced to pay for energy improvements says National Homebuyers

Buy-to-let landlords may find that they need to fork out large sums of money in order to make their properties more energy efficient.

[UKPRwire, Tue Dec 04 2007] As part of the introduction of Home information packs (Hips), all landlords will have to make an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) available to tenants from October 1st 2008.

It means that many buy-to-let investors will need to spend large sums of money which they may not have and could lead to financial difficulty.

As a result, there may be an increase in the number of people looking for a quick property sale in the months leading to October (!?).

"Letting properties professionally is a serious responsibility," warned David Salusbury, chairman of the National Landlords' Association.

"With so many legal obligations on the landlord, letting residential property can be a minefield of regulation – and Energy Performance Certificates are yet another consideration.

"Putting in an efficient boiler, installing double glazing, lagging pipes and laying insulation in the roof are all means of improving energy efficiency," he continued.

Fast cash for homes property expert Julian King adds, "The introduction of Hips, which is being rolled out to all properties from December 14th, is just another barrier to selling your house quickly.

"The ability to achieve a fast property sale is more and more unlikely through the traditional estate agency route, as the number of hurdles to overcome increase.

"With a lack of available buyers because of current lending restrictions and a general feeling of unease in the market, any BTL landlords that may be facing difficulty will find the quick sale of their investment property difficult".

Mr King is a director of National Homebuyers, the UK's leading fast property purchase firm. The company guarantees a quick 'cash for house' offer for vendors who need a quick sale. The company is also one of the UK's leading providers of Sell and Rent Back solutions.

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