Finding solutions for the expat community

The spanish government recently passed a bill that will require all existing homes in Spain that are for sale or rent to have an “energy performance certificate” from the 1st of June 2013. Once the new regulations have come into force in Spain all homeowners who want to sell or lease their property must make this “energy performance certificate” available to the prospective buyer and/or tenant.
The owner of the home, building, or business premises will be responsible for obtaining and paying for the certificate, which they will need in order to sell or lease their home. In addition to the certificate, each home will also receive a series of recommendations to improve the energy performance of the home and enable it to go up at least one level in the energy efficiency scale.
Expat Solutions has a team of qualified & experienced domestic and commercial EPC Engineers/Architects & technitions who will provide a fully registered and approved EPC – energy performance certificate.
We provide a fast, personal and simple way of obtaining the EPC (energy performance certificate). Just contact me to arrange a convenient day and time.

The BOE (Oficial State Publication) cin be found here:-

http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2013/04/13/pdfs/BOE-A-2013-3904.pdf

This is the law published by the government dictating the conditions to be adhered to.
FAQ.

What is an energy certificate? It is a report that describes how efficient a home is in terms of energy consumption. It assigns an energy rating to each home on a scale which ranges from “A” (the most efficient) to “G” (the least efficient). In most cases properties in Spain will be graded between E & G becuase of the type of building materials used and lack of insulation.

• Who can issue an energy efficiency certificate? Just Qualified Engineers registered in colledge of Spanish Engineers/architects(Arquitecto Tecnico, Ingeniero or an Ingeniero Tecnico Colegiado).
• Will the technician need to visit the property? Yes. They have to visit the property to take measurements and collect information about the property before drawing up and certifying the report.
• How much is the EPC certificate? Depending on the size and type of your property bit aproximatly between 140€ for a apartment  & 180€ for a town house/villa.
• Who needs an EPC certificate?All properties that are being sold or rented out (even short term rentals).
• How long is the energy certificate valid for? The certificate is valid for 10 years. This means owners will not have to obtain a new certificate during this period unless they renovate or change the property in any way.
• Can I obtain an EPC before the 1st of June? Yes, however it will not be obligatory until the 1st of June, if your home is on the market to be sold then it is best to have it provided as soon as you can as to prevent any extra stress at the time of the sale.
• Will I be fined if i do not have an EPC? It has been published that the government will fine all properties listed for sale or rent that do not have an EPC. According to the consumers & users defence law (Real Decreto Legislativo 1/2007, 16th of november) it will be considered a material infraction.
• Will a low rating affect the sale of my home? Can I sell it without any problems? You are free to sell your home. The only way it will affect a sale is how the rating influences the buyer.
• If I want to sell my home and it has a poor energy rating, such as D, E or F, am I obliged to make any improvements? No, you are not obliged to make any improvements even if your property has a low rating. With ther certificate there is added some advice on how to improve the rating.

Excluded buildings

Monumental officially protected buildings and special architectural or historic properties where compliance with the requirements would unacceptably alter their characteristics and appearance. Churches & places of worship and for religious activities; temporary buildings with a limmited time of use of two years or less. Industrial warehouses, workshops and non-residential agricultural buildings with low energy demand and nonresidential agricultural buildings which are in use by a sector covered by a national sectoral agreement on energy performance; residentialpropertieswhich were built with the intention to be used less than four months of the year and stand-alone buildings (casitas or farmers tool houses) with a total floor area of less than 50 m2.

If you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me by email (patrickvine63@hotmail.com) or phone me on 617354758.