As we all try to resist the urge to turn up our thermostat, the scale of the increase in fuel bills this winter will be enough to motivate some homeowners to carry out energy efficiency measures.
As buyers also factor in rising costs, we could also start to see properties with a good Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating command a premium.
With sellers keen to attract buyers and existing homeowners eager to cut their bill, we are likely to see a surge in demand for green home improvements – and unfortunately, so too will the opportunities for scammers.
National Trading Standards (NTS) recently warned it is bracing itself for a spike in green home improvement scams. Its analysis shows an 85% increase from August to September last year alone in scam calls offering grants for solar panels, loft insulation, spray foam, double or triple glazing and boiler replacement.
To reduce their bills, it says 64% of people are either currently making their home more energy efficient or considering doing so.
It warns that those eligible for Government grants will be particularly susceptible to criminals claiming to be from accredited Government support schemes. Its analysis found a third of people have already been targeted by home improvement criminals.
NTS currently has five energy-related cases awaiting trial, including a firm which conned victims into paying for useless external invisible spray wall coatings, falsely claiming they would reduce energy bills, cure damp and reduce condensation.
While such scenarios are devastating and costly for the homeowner, perpetrated on a large scale they also have the potential to disrupt the wider mortgage and housing market.
We have recently seen the damage incorrectly installed spray foam insulation has done to properties and consequently to some homeowners’ mortgage prospects. Given the scale of the green upgrades needed to be carried out to the UK’s housing stock, shoddy ‘improvements’ risk not only the homeowner being conned out of money but also damaging or devaluing a home.
When the NTS asked homeowners how they would find a firm to work on their property, 12% of those surveyed said they’d respond to an online ad, 9% would reply to an ad on social media, 9% would respond to a leaflet through the letterbox and 4% would hire a firm that knocked on the door. All classic tactics used by criminals, according to the NTS.
It offers some general guidance for homeowners such as never agreeing to work by anyone who knocks on your door uninvited, rings you out of the blue or contacts you online. It also advises getting recommendations from trusted friends or using your council website for an approved list of traders.
The number of homeowners looking to undertake energy efficient improvements is likely to increase further still once the long-awaited official guidelines are released by the Government, outlining how and when landlords initially (and in the future no doubt, homeowners as well), will need to upgrade the EPC rating of their property.
While the Government has indicated 2035 as the year it would like to see residential properties upgraded to an EPC band C, the date for landlords was expected to be much sooner – as early as 2025 for new tenancies.
The National Residential Landlords Association (NLRA) recently called the Government’s intention to upgrade rental properties by 2025 as ‘dead in the water’ due to the lack of progress it has made on introducing any legislation since it first consulted on the matter in January 2021. It has called for a clear and revised timetable for landlords as to when it envisages introducing new minimum EPC standards for rental properties.
The state of limbo in which both landlords and homeowners find themselves in is not helpful and the rate at which fuel bills have risen could lead to a natural acceleration and desire from homeowners to upgrade their property, irrespective of legislative obligations.
As surveyors, our domestic energy assessors can guide homeowners on the energy-saving measures they can undertake to improve their property’s EPC and likewise, lenders and advisers can inform borrowers about the latest green products.
As understanding around energy efficiency increases, conversations with clients around green initiatives and ways to improve their properties will become more common. There is a danger some homeowners may be so desperate to save on their bills that it clouds their judgement when it comes to trusting ‘tradespeople’.
While we cannot always forewarn clients about the dangers of green home improvement scams, it’s important as an industry we are mindful of the potential risk to homeowners and help raise awareness to try and prevent any future problems.
Simon Jackson is managing director of SDL SurveyingÂ
