BER Cert

snowey07

As I understand it a seller must by law provide a BER cert ... is this correct?

If the seller obtains the SEI grant towards it and the buyer eventually needs another cert to claim the energy efficency grants from SEI, can the buyer also claim the grant or is the grant attached to the property?

For anyone who has bought since 2009, at what stage did you receive the cert or did you have to insist they had it done ?

Thanks in advance

convert

I was reading an article in one of the papers last week (it was either the Times of the Indo) which dealt with the topic of BER certs. According to the EAs who were interviewed for the article, very few purchasers actually ask to look at the BER cert before deciding to purchase, while a large number of vendors only acquire it so they can send it in with the remainder of the necessary paperwork towards the end of the sale.

odds_on

A seller must provide a BER Certificate to prospective buyers or tenants when a home is to be constructed, offered for sale or rent under the following circumstances:

New homes where planning permission was applied for on or after 1st January 2007
All homes offered for sale or rent on or after 1st January 2009. There are exemptions for certain categories of buildings, e.g. protected structures and certain temporary building (Ref. S.I. No. 666 of 2006).

There are fines of up to €5,000 for non-compliance with the regulations.

As well as the seller, the seller's agents are also included, which means that an estate agent who offers / advertizes a property without a BER cert is breaking the law. Also, a solicitor acting for the seller is liable - and will not continue with conveyencing until a BER cert is produced; they will often attach a copy of the cert to the deeds.

Note the first line of the post - it is the seller's obligation to provide the cert to the prospective purchaser without the purchaser having to request to see it. What the purchaser does with the informayion on the cert is up to him - he can use it or ignore it.

As regards the SEI, I cab't help-

snowey07

thanks for the replies.

do you know what the ber details?

Technoprisoner

its a joke if you ask me...my parents bought am apartment at the start of the year..it came with a ber rating that wasnt the best...but the apartment is constantly warm...these ber ratings were obviously done when nobody had occupied surrounding apartments and were un-furnished.

odds_on

check out http://www.seai.ie

Doop

Technoprisoner wrote: »

its a joke if you ask me...my parents bought am apartment at the start of the year..it came with a ber rating that wasnt the best...but the apartment is constantly warm...these ber ratings were obviously done when nobody had occupied surrounding apartments and were un-furnished.

How does furniture or the fact that surrounding apartments are occupied or unoccupied affect a BER rating?

missmyler

I have recently signed up for the PRTB so needed a Ber cert for this

Went on to www.bercert.com and got a quote for 85 euro for a 3 bed house in Celbridge, not bad,I expected it to be a lot more

Dades

I had to get a BER cert a couple of weeks ago as the gaff was going on the market.

The guy measured the room sizes, wall thickness, and checked the radiators, tanks, boiler (age for efficiency), windows and any insulation. All this data gets dumped into a calculator which spits out a figure. (Furniture was not a factor, afaik.)

He told me nowhere gets A or B ratings unless they are custom eco-homes, and older houses (like mine - 1920's) simply never score well.

Regarding apartments, I'd imagine you can't take into account surrounding units as you have to take your apartment in isolation and it's own ability to warm itself/retain heat.

stargazer 68

I contacted the BER place about the house that I rent. They told me that my house still needs to have BER cert despite the fact that I have been there since before the rule came into place. So how do I get my landlord to get one?

murphym7

Technoprisoner wrote: »

its a joke if you ask me...my parents bought am apartment at the start of the year..it came with a ber rating that wasnt the best...but the apartment is constantly warm...these ber ratings were obviously done when nobody had occupied surrounding apartments and were un-furnished.

The BER is a complete joke. It is energy effeciency rather than how quick your house lose's heat.

My parents got external insulation done to the outside of their house last year - its a semi D and the neigbour decided to get the job done too. Identical houses, Same double glazing etc....you would thing the BER would be close if not the same. Miles apart - my Dads boiler is a little older than the neigbours and his rating was way worse.

My house is detached, double glazing in the front only - dubious insulation throughout - I have a new boiler though!! My BER is miles better than my dad's.

To put this in perspective - my parents had the bolier on for around 5/6 hours a day during the cold weather in Dec/Jan and the house was roasting. Mine was burning oil for at least 12 hours per day and the house chilly - unfortunatly my good BER rating does not take the edge off my Oil bill when it comes, and does not keep me cozy when the bloody house is freezing.

So what is the point of this - should it be a measure of how efficient your boliler is and how many green lightbulbs you have - or should it measure how good your house is at keeping in the heat. My carbon footprint is far greater than my dad's, yet my BER is much better.

Dades

The boiler is a huge factor. Mine is 18 years old so my rating was doomed from the outset. (The fact that my walls are literally 2 foot thick and the windows double-glazed didn't even seem to factor...)

astrofool

I think the BER cert is only needed when it's being put up for rent again.

Technically, when the lease is renewed might also fall into this.

Aprilmay

astrofool wrote: »

I think the BER cert is only needed when it's being put up for rent again.

Technically, when the lease is renewed might also fall into this.

You need a BER cert if your selling too we put our house on the market and we had to get one.

Dymo

Dovies wrote: »

I contacted the BER place about the house that I rent. They told me that my house still needs to have BER cert despite the fact that I have been there since before the rule came into place. So how do I get my landlord to get one?

What do you need it for?

Ray Palmer

My understanding with the grant system is it is on the property. There should be no point applying for a grant on the same area the grant has already been issued. Boiler grant still available if the house has been given the grant for insulation for example.

stargazer 68

Dymo wrote: »

What do you need it for?

Well my theory is, misguided as it may be, that if the landlord gets one done and sees how badly insulated the house is he might do something about it!

odds_on

Dovies wrote: »

Well my theory is, misguided as it may be, that if the landlord gets one done and sees how badly insulated the house is he might do something about it!

Tenants should be looking at the BER of a property as it is a good indicator of its heating and lighting costs. The cost savings between a B rated and an E rated property can be as much as €1500 per annum. A lot of money in any economic climate!

You request the landlord in writing to provide one. However, it may also be a escape route if you want to leave the property.
According to the Law Society, failure to produce a BER before signing a lease cannot be remedied by the subsequent provision of a BER, unless the tenant is given the opportunity to back out of the Contract at the same time.

EricPraline

Technoprisoner wrote: »

these ber ratings were obviously done when nobody had occupied surrounding apartments and were un-furnished.

As pointed out above, this would have no effect on the rating. Only issues such as adjacency to a number of external surfaces (i.e. being on top floor or corner of the block) would be relevant. It's not as if the assessor is going around with a thermometer :rolleyes:

Ray Palmer

odds_on wrote: »

Tenants should be looking at the BER of a property as it is a good indicator of its heating and lighting costs. .

It is actually not very accurate at all for such information. Having a new boiler in a place with new windows and poor insulation will rate high. An older house that has been insulated having older windows properly fitted and an older boiler may be well be easier to heat. Lighting is generally down to the bulbs in most places unless they are specific fittings.

To get a high rating is next to impossible on older houses due to some of the ways it is calculated. A badly fitting internal door may cause more problems than an older boiler when it comes to cost and comfort.

I doubt any LL is going to change a property with an existing tenant due to a BER. The only time it would really impact you is if you can't rent them.

Personally I have external insulation on the properties I deal with due to the tax advantages. An 3 story Georgian house was cheaper to insulate than my own modest 3 bed semi to the tune of 10K as each flat is entitled to the grant of 4k and the remaining expenses is tax deductible. Once the new changes come in it may come down to a really cheap cost and adds value to the property.

Better telling your landlord of the cost to him and what they can be claimed than the insisting on the BER. I am thinking of solar panels on the property if the return on value is worth it. You will always catch more bees with honey than vinegar