Pocster

On my build once I worked out how flawed epc’s are I was happy with a D - because the mcs payment 😊 . If I were to sell it I’d get a proper detailed epc done ( cost quite a bit more ) - reckon I’d get a B then .

He’s not meant to tell you on the spot incase you argue ! . Should be a C though . Which is what I want . Though my self built energy efficient, super insulated house is a D 🤣🤣🤣

So ! I got an epc done on a rental today . I asked him what he thought of epc’s and policy ….. It’s shit - government hasn’t a clue Gas boilers are with us still for decades Landlords get screwed to meet a regulation no one else does Easiest way to up your epc is solar ( cheaper than trying to retro insulate ) Hydrogen boilers domestic unlikely for decades if ever . Epc’s are easy money for me As soon as a energy policy is implemented a few years later it’s rolled back as impossible I asked for the solution ! . He said it was easy , knock down houses and rebuild . He admitted “ up front “ costs to rebuild housing stock might be high . He basically reinforced my view that there is no real solution until technology creates something….

Absolutely no idea .

I honestly don’t think they care . It just fades away like so many of the important planning conditions they constructed …

My suds condition didn’t ( can’t be ) discharged . So I’m not sure what’s to gain for me by getting it …. ( regardless of whether or not I implement suds - which of course I can’t ) . Don’t want to knob the donkey just for fun .

Don’t doubt it . At the time though planning gave their demands and that was it . So suggestions of home to implement. I noticed also the suds requirement for other builds was the same as mine I.e they simply cut ‘n’ paste a condition ….

No a proper chamber - like a water tank .

Recording pen helps 😉

Trust me at face to face meeting I let them know how simplistic they are ! . As you can tell there was no “ suds formal plan “ for me - it was just a component to aid refusal of my application. (expletive deleted) ‘em 💪👍

Actually it’s funny you say that . Single builds whom can implement suds will of course add up . Planning ‘argued’ my single build didn’t add to the housing stock ….. Without swearing at them I said it added 1 ( I’m good at maths ) . So you can ‘argue’ it’s pointless or it’s additional - that’s how my planning works . If I could have done it easily I would have . Failing the 10m rule they wanted rainwater run off to run to the nearest storm drain - cost of that ( as it’s out on the street ) was 80k …. 🫤

I disagree with your disagreement. My suds requirement was a sub ground ‘channel ‘ for the water to run into but 10m from all buildings and boundaries ( that includes my build ) . That makes my build impossible ! . With that ‘distance’ requirement you would need a garden of say 20m by 20m so you could stick a ground chamber central in it - and then the land left for your build . Large plot ; single dwelling then sure . Single dwelling in a city - not really do able . As op says ( like my plot ) - before build a chunk of land which rainwater permeates through . Now ? . Build with a roof , rainwater gutter going into the land . What’s the difference? . No massive non permeable driveway and rainwater skirting off it …

Suds on a single build is absolutely pointless . More tick box exercises for the council .

Planning for me . None of those departments in my experience have any comms with the other . I’m fairly sure after 11 yr build , living onsite for nearly 3 yrs and still not signed off . Any come back on suds to (expletive deleted) me up will be dealt with …

Yeah I can bodge that , no worries!

Well ! Because it’s BS and I know that . I argued they had requested a mandatory thing that was impossible to achieve . I then went and found successful applications where suds wasn’t even mentioned. I then found passed applications for single builds with no suds requirements passed by my planning officer 😊 Mandatory my ass . I produced all this by surprise to them at a meeting . Naturally they had no where to go … So - my Suds requirement is simply listed as “ not completed “ so we carry on regardless . BCO will still sign it off because they are incompetent and don’t even know what I’ve built . If an issue does arrive where bco wants too see suds signed off I’ll simply dig all this up for them .

I think my point of my original post was ignoring LL’s now - we will pretend they all cough up and their properties are ‘C’ ( or meet whatever minimum is required ) . It’s the rest of the homeowners that need to be ‘forced’ to upgrade

No it’s not ! . It’s treated and taxed as an investment. Treated completely differently…. It *should* be a business like any other - but as lockdown proved it isn’t …

I pay the bills . So whether it’s an A or D makes no difference to the rent . That’s exactly the problem . That is what’s happening which causes more shortages of rental properties. As @ProDave points out - targeting the low hanging fruit . Then what ? For the rest of the house owning population?

I was thinking about this . Forcing LL’s to meet a specific epc but not the rest of the house owning population always seemed unfair . Labour ‘pledge’ now is rented epc’s to a as yet unspecified rating by 2030. Also no gas boilers by 2030 . Unachievable ? Yep What about when a property is sold it has to be a C minimum . If it’s not the seller is given a loan to make it a C . The cost of that loan is repaid to the government via the solicitor doing the sale . Sounds fairer . Of course that could cripple the housing market potentially and there would have to be some exemptions .

I stink of bleach so another stink won’t be a problem . I’m on it !

You sure this will seal the wall then I can paint over ?

After

My tenant kindly left me this . Furniture was infront the windows so first time I’ve seen it . Dilute bleach to remove the worst of it . What do I seal the wall with ? . Paint will peel off easy if I roller it

Ah Suds - the plannings gotcha for stopping your build . It’s all a bit of a joke sometimes on a single build as you’ve pointed out . My planning insisted the ‘suds drainage ‘ was 10m from any boundary and any building . Making my build impossible…..