Landlords need to comply with the rules surrounding Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), which come into force at the beginning of October, one buy-to-let expert has advised.
The new legislation insists that landlords show prospective tenants an EPC when they view a rental property.
Despite the threat of a £200 fine and the landlord being unable to rent the property without it, research from Paragon reveals 81 per cent of buy-to-let property owners have not yet obtained their EPC.
With less than a week to go before the EPCs are required, the survey showed only five per cent of those questioned has obtained the certificates for all of the properties in their portfolio.
John Heron, Paragon Mortgages managing director, said: "Landlords cannot afford to ignore the regulations when it can increase the risk of void periods.
"We expect the percentage of landlords with EPCs for their properties to rise pretty quickly within the first few months of the new regulation's introduction," he added.
Meanwhile, HM Revenue & Customs has unveiled new powers to visit landlords who are paying insufficient tax.
News by Adfero for Simply Business - independent providers of landlord insurance, buy-to-let mortgages, public liability insurance, business finance & commercial mortgages.
