Tag Archives: environment
Petition launched to scrap EPCs in UK which were imposed by EU directive
A Parliamentary petition has been launched in the UK to scrap energy performance certificates for residential properties now that the country has decided to leave the European Union. The certificates, known as EPCs, were introduced in 2007 after the Housing Act 2004 made it a mandatory requirement that an energy assessment is made on all properties listed for sale in Britain and later this applied to rental properties too. This was done to comply with a European Directive and EPCs were seen as bureaucratic consequence of being a member of the European Union which means all countries had to introduce the certificates. This means that every home that is put on sale or for let needs to be inspected and a certificate issued before it can be advertised. It is estimated this amounts to an annual cost of £100 million to sellers and landlords. It is widely regarded that the resulting energy rating that the certificate assesses is of little help to either buyer or seller and has not proven to reduce energy consumption in any attempt to assist in mitigating the effects on the environment, as was the intention when first conceived by the European Commission. Now, Russell Quirk, chief executive officer of hybrid estate agent eMoov, has launched a Parliamentary petition to bring about the scrapping of EPCs which he believes will streamline the home moving process and save the country millions of pounds. ‘This petition will be the first shot to be fired by the property industry in achieving swift benefit from the EU exit,’ he said, pointing out that if 100,000 signatures are achieved this would mean that Parliament has to debate the issue. Quirk has also contacted the Housing Minister Brandon Lewis MP to ask for his support. Since inception, it is estimated that over 16 million EPCs have been produced and at a consumer cost of over £800 million. ‘I have launched this national petition in order to get rid of EPCs and the unnecessary cost to the consumer of paying for them. When introduced as part of the failed Home Information Pack in 2007 they were widely criticised as pointless and wasteful by the property industry,’ said Quirk. ‘Thousands of inspectors have had to be trained and then re-trained under adapted legislation, forced upon us by an EU directive that, now that we have voted for Brexit, can be unwound. EPCs are of no benefit to anyone and have created a bureaucratic burden on home sellers, landlords and estate agents,’ he added. Continue reading
New scheme launches to help UK home owners susceptible to flooding
A scheme has been launched in the UK to help people with properties in areas susceptible to flooding to get affordable home insurance. Flood Re is described by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) as a word first. It is not a home insurer but will work behind the scenes with existing insurance companies so that people with home in are most likely to flood can shop around to find policies with affordable premiums and excesses. ‘It’s great to see so many insurers ready to make use of Flood Re from launch. The launch is just the start of a process and we know more providers will join them over time, bringing even more choice for people with homes at risk of flooding,’ said James Dalton. Director of general insurance policy as the ABI. ‘Insurance is an essential safeguard for your home and belongings. People in flood risk areas not being able to access affordable cover was a major concern, and why the insurance industry went to great lengths to design and create this world-first solution along with Government,’ he added. But research by home insurance expert Admiral suggests more needs to be done to educate those affected as only one in seven of have heard of the Flood Re scheme. It found that despite 67% believing severe flooding events will become more frequent in coming years, just 15% said they worry about their own home flooding. Relatively few people surveyed, just 7% said they have suffered a flood in the past, but it’s clear that for those that were, it was devastating. Admiral asked them the worst thing about their own flooding experience and 21% said the destruction of their furniture and carpets while 16% said it was the emotional stress that the flood caused. ‘Although Flood Re won’t prevent flooding, it is good news for home owners who have been previously flooded or who have had difficulty getting insurance because their home is at risk of flooding. However our research shows only 15% have heard of the scheme,’ said Noel Summerfield, head of household at Admiral. Flood Re works by charging all home insurers a fee and it’s this fee along with other charges to insurers using the scheme that pays for any associated flood claims. It is launched at a time when the Environment Agency estimates that one in six homes are at risk of flood in England alone. Most experts agree that incidents of flooding are likely to become more commonplace. Not everyone Admiral surveyed would be put off buying a house if there was a risk it might flood, only 62% said they would never consider buying a home that was at risk of flooding, no matter its price. Some 12% said they would consider buying a home if the price it was up to 30% below its true cost. While 29% would do it if they could get up to 50% off its true cost. However a house that is prone to… Continue reading
UK government criticised for having a short term approach to new home building
The wave of new home building in the UK could harm the longer term housing market as sustainability, design, quality and planning risk being pushed aside in the rush to build new properties, it is claimed. A new report from the House of Lords Built Environment Select Committee Report outlines concerns that the short term approach to building new homes is being carried out at the expense of long term considerations, and criticises the removal of initiatives such as zero carbon homes. It points out that the planning, design, management and maintenance of the built environment has a long term impact upon people and communities and that policy towards the built environment in England should not be the sole preserve of any one Government department. ‘There is an urgent need to co-ordinate and reconcile policy across numerous different areas and priorities. Recently, however, one priority has become dominant in debates concerning built environment policy. Increasing the overall supply of housing, and the speed at which housing is delivered, is a central part of the Government’s policy agenda,’ the report says. ‘When seen in the context of the housing crisis facing many communities across England, this is understandable and, overall, we welcome the Government focus on increasing and speeding up the supply of housing,’ it explains. ‘Restrictions on financial freedoms and flexibilities, however, pose a threat to the ability of local authorities to build houses of their own. The private sector, throughout the post-war period, has very rarely achieved the delivery of 200,000 homes a year. We do not believe the Government can deliver the step change required for housing supply without taking measures to allow local authorities and housing associations each to play their full part in delivering new homes,’ it adds. The report also says that Government initiatives have so far failed to address a further part of the house building problem, which is the gap between planning permissions granted and new homes built. ‘We recommend measures intended to address this, and other, barriers to increasing the number of housing completions. More fundamentally, however, we are concerned that the overall emphasis on speed and quantity of housing supply appears to threaten place making itself, along with sustainable planning for the long-term and the delivery of high quality and design standards,’ the report says. ‘The Government is pursuing a deregulatory agenda as seen, for example, in the introduction of more flexible arrangements for office to residential conversions and the strong policy emphasis placed on the financial viability of new developments. These… Continue reading
