My landlord wants to evict me via a section 21 but the first time he tried, his EPC was out of date (in 2017) and he had failed to give me a ‘how to rent’ guide so I didn’t leave. He realised these were the reasons and sent over the how to rent guide and a new EPC whic was apparently done last month (November).
The problem is that no one ever came round to do the assessment and his EPC which was from 2007 and was rated a low E before has magically jumped up to a decent D rating despite no improvements being made on the property and loads of issues within (like mould, failed couble glazing, damp etc).
The assessor who allegedly came round did his original EPC back in 2007, she’s a local estate agent and is the same agent who is currently trying to sell this house (so she clearly has a vested interest in her commission!). I’m wondering what to do about this as this new EPC is clearly a fake, the date she says she came round, I wasn’t even here all day and the only estate agent who came in here for more than 5 mins was their photographer (I know what the assessor looks like from their website and it wasn’t her).
I’m not sure how to prove it’s fake, I’ve reported it all to trading standards but as I’ve now been served with a new section 21 which as this EPC is fake is yet again invalid, I’ll need to presumably prove that it’s a fake if I end up going to court over this (which I will as this landlord has been unbelievably sneaky at every turn).
Should I get the property assessed myself? I belueve it’ll get an F rating but I obviously don’t want it to have a valid EPC on the .gov website because I don’t want the landlord to be able to use it.
Sorry for the wall of writing but I really don’t know what to do.
This seems extremely stressful for you and likely your landlord too. If it was me I’d look for somewhere else, why would you want to remain in a place where the landlord is apparently “sneaky” or “fraudulent” or with such a low epc, must cost a fortune to get the place warm.
I know it sounds mad but it’s not really just about the house, I’ve been here for nearly a decade and love the community spirit in the street I live in. It’s a lot to lose on top of my home.
The rental market is terrible around where I live as well, there are only 1 or 2 properties going up per week and they’re always overpriced and just generally unsuitable
I would look at the EPC to find out who issued it. If no luck perhaps try the Ministry of Housing Communities and local govt. I know from a recent EPC I had done, the assessor said the auditors are now very strict at requiring evidence to support assessment. Where insulation can’t be proved, it can’t be assumed as being present so hard to see how your EPC would increase especially if they didn’t even conduct it! Regardless of whether you stay or go, I think you have a duty as a responsible citizen to report fraudulent behaviour.
It is a gamble. How will you prove it is fake Your word is not enough. If you request EPC and pay yourself are you confident it will not improve . No matter what we say it is your gamble. Do you feel lucky ?
Even the most incompetent landlord will eventually get you out, so you would be better off planning your own departure on your own terms. You might want to look for somewhere else nearby whilst you still have a decent reputation as a tenant. I would definitely make sure Trading Standards followed up with the “fake EPC” though.
