The new EPC regulations were enforced from 6th April 2012. These new regulatory changes not only set a duty on property sellers and landlords, but also on persons acting on their behalf, in order to ensure that an EPC is available or have been commissioned before the marketing of the property.
If the Law firms are not familiar with the new EPC regulations, they may face a penalty of up to £5,000 once they do not comply with the law for commercial properties. For residential properties, there is £200 penalty per breach of the EPC regulations. With the demand for EPC increasing and the timescale introduced for obtaining and EPC being reduced, it is important for the law firms to pay attention to ensure that the EPC will be provided in time.
The new EPC regulations require that an EPC must be commissioned within 7 days of marketing a property. If this is not available but reasonable steps have been taken to obtain one, then another 21 days is allowed. If the property is still on the market without an EPC after 28days, a penalty will be issued.
