There is a “widespread failure” of English councils to enforce landlords’ current EPC requirements according to property tech provider Reapit.
Reapit commercial director Dr Neil Cobbold says this risks undermining the government’s aim to introduce further EPC regulation to the PRS.
These findings come from Reapit’s Freedom of Information requests to several major English councils in recent months, including Liverpool, Manchester, Brighton, Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol.
Councils in these areas were asked how many landlords they had fined for not complying with current EPC rules.
Across all the local authorities surveyed, only 147 fines were issued and these were only by councils in Liverpool, Bristol and Newham.
Councils were also asked how many PRS properties in their areas were currently exempt from minimum energy efficiency regulations.
Across all regions surveyed, only 325 exempt properties were known with most councils unable to say how many were in their area.
Dr Cobbold says these findings risk letting “good landlords” down and pose serious questions for how successful the government’s plans will be to further regulate EPC ratings.
“By failing to investigate bad landlords who can’t provide a simple valid EPC certificate when a property is rented, councils are sending the wrong message to landlords who abide by the law,” he said.
“The inability to provide basic paperwork can point to wider issues with the property. Lack of enforcement means unscrupulous landlords can continue to offer substandard properties without fear of getting caught.”
As such, Reapit is questioning the government’s approach to introduce more licensing schemes in these areas.
Though these may bolster local authorities’ accounts, Dr Cobbold questioned the impact this would have on landlords already struggling to meet current EPC requirements.
“It's especially important not to go down this road at a time when the government is introducing both a PRS Database, which will aid enforcement, and attempting a wholesale reorganisation of local government,” he added.
“The rules and regulations around minimum energy standards and EPCs in the PRS are clear – local authorities simply need to enforce them better or risk undermining the government’s energy-efficiency drive.”