top of page
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Have a question about EPCs, Floor Plans, Legionella Risk Assessments, Retrofit Assessments, SAP or New Build EPC’s?
Below you'll find answers to some of the most common questions we receive from homeowners, landlords, Letting Agents and Property Professionals across Hampshire.
If you can't find the answer you're looking for, please contact Daring Energy Surveys and we'll be happy to help.
Frequently Asked Questions
GENERAL FAQs
Daring Energy Surveys provides property energy and compliance services for homeowners, landlords, letting agents and property professionals. Services include Domestic Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), SAP calculations, New Build EPCs, Floor Plans, Legionella Risk Assessments and Retrofit Assessments.
We provide property surveys and assessments throughout Hampshire, including Portsmouth, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, Waterlooville, Southampton and surrounding areas. If your property is outside these locations, please get in touch, we cover more areas than you might think.
We work with homeowners, private landlords, letting agents, estate agents, property investors and housing providers across Hampshire.
Yes. Where suitable, services can be combined into a single property visit. For example, an EPC can be completed alongside a Floor Plan or Legionella Risk Assessment, helping to reduce the number of separate appointments required.
Not necessarily. As long as suitable access to the property has been arranged, you do not usually need to remain at the property throughout the assessment.
You can contact Daring Energy Surveys through our website, email, telephone & watsapp to arrange an appointment. Please provide the property address and the service you require so that we can confirm availability.
Yes. We can support landlords, letting agents and property investors who require assessments across multiple properties. Please contact us to discuss portfolio requirements and availability.
Yes. We work with letting agents and estate agents requiring EPCs, floor plans and other property assessment services throughout Hampshire.
DOMESTIC EPC FAQs
An Energy Performance Certificate, commonly known as an EPC, shows the energy efficiency of a property. The property receives a rating from A, the most energy efficient, through to G, the least energy efficient. The certificate also contains information about the property's energy performance and recommendations that could potentially improve its energy efficiency.
An EPC is generally required when a residential property is being built, sold or rented. For properties being sold or rented, an EPC must be ordered before the property is marketed.
A standard domestic EPC assessment will usually take approximately 30–60 minutes, depending on the size, age, construction and complexity of the property. Larger or more complex properties may take longer.
A domestic EPC is normally valid for 10 years from the date it was issued, unless a newer EPC is produced for the same property.
No. If you're selling a property in England, an EPC must be obtained before the property is marketed for sale.
There is not a minimum EPC rating required simply to sell an existing home. However, the property's EPC rating will be visible to prospective buyers and may influence their assessment of the property's likely energy efficiency and running costs.
During an EPC assessment, the Domestic Energy Assessor will collect information about the property including its construction, dimensions, insulation, windows, heating system, hot water system, lighting and any renewable technologies that may be present. EPC’s are evidence based which means they are non-invasive (No drilling involved!)
The assessor will need reasonable access throughout the property to collect the information required for the EPC. This will include all rooms and also include areas such as the loft where safe and accessible. Should I prepare anything before my EPC? It can be helpful to make areas such as the boiler, heating controls, hot water cylinder and loft access readily accessible. If you have documentation relating to insulation, extensions, window installation, planning documents or other energy efficiency improvements, have this available for the assessor to review.
An EPC assessor has to follow the approved assessment methodology and evidence requirements. If certain improvements cannot be adequately evidenced, the assessor may not be able to record them in the assessment. Providing appropriate documentation for previous energy efficiency improvements can therefore be useful.
Your EPC will normally include recommended energy efficiency improvements that could increase the property's rating. Recommendations can include measures such as insulation, heating improvements, lighting upgrades or renewable technology, depending on the property. Recommendations are to be completed in sequential order. You are not automatically required to complete every recommendation simply because it appears on the EPC.
LANDLORD EPC FAQs
Yes. Residential rental properties that fall within the EPC regulations require an EPC, and the certificate must be made available to prospective tenants.
No, an EPC is normally valid for 10 years and can generally continue to be used for subsequent tenancies while it remains valid, it is recommended to renew your EPC after improvement works.
Under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), most privately rented domestic properties covered by the regulations currently need to achieve at least an EPC rating of E, unless a valid exemption applies.
A property rated F or G may not normally be let where the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards apply unless the landlord has made the required improvements or a valid exemption has been registered. If you're unsure, obtaining an up-to-date EPC can help establish the property's current energy performance before deciding what action may be required.
Potentially, yes. Measures such as improving insulation, upgrading heating controls, improving the heating system, installing more efficient lighting or adding renewable technologies may improve a property's EPC rating. The most appropriate measures will depend on the individual property.
Although an existing EPC may still be within its 10-year validity period, commissioning a new EPC after significant energy efficiency improvements can provide an updated rating that reflects the property's current condition.
Yes. We can arrange EPC assessments for individual rental properties or multiple properties across a landlord's portfolio, subject to location and availability.
FLOOR PLAN FAQs
Yes. Daring Energy Surveys provides residential floor plans suitable for estate agents, letting agents, homeowners and landlords.
Most residential floor plan appointments take approximately 30–60 minutes depending on the size, complexity and layout of the property.
Yes. An EPC and floor plan can be completed during the same property visit, helping to reduce the need for multiple appointments.
Your completed floor plan will be provided in a high-quality digital format suitable for property marketing and online listings.
Yes. Our residential floor plans can be used to help prospective buyers or tenants understand the layout and approximate arrangement of a property.
No. Property marketing floor plans are intended to provide a clear representation of the property's general layout. They should not be used as architectural, structural or construction drawings.
LEGIONELLA RISK ASSESSMENT FAQs
A Legionella risk assessment looks at a property's hot and cold water system to identify potential conditions that could allow Legionella bacteria to grow and assesses whether appropriate controls are in place.
Landlords have legal responsibilities to assess and control the risk of exposure to Legionella bacteria within rented properties. For many straightforward domestic water systems the risk may be relatively low, but landlords still need to consider and assess that risk.
There is no specific legal requirement for landlords to obtain a particular 'Legionella certificate'. The important requirement is that the risk from Legionella has been appropriately assessed and controlled.
There is no fixed legal period requiring a Legionella risk assessment to be repeated every one or two years. The assessment should be reviewed when there is reason to believe it may no longer be valid, for example following significant changes to the water system, changes in occupancy or other circumstances affecting the level of risk.
For a typical domestic property, the assessment will usually take approximately 30–60 minutes depending on the size of the property and complexity of the water system.
The assessment will consider the property's hot and cold water system and identify potential Legionella risk factors. This may include examining water storage, outlets, temperatures, sections of pipework that could encourage stagnation and other relevant features of the system.
Routine Legionella water testing is not normally required for straightforward domestic hot and cold water systems simply to complete a risk assessment. Where testing is considered necessary because of the particular circumstances of a system, specialist sampling may be recommended separately
Simple precautions can include maintaining appropriate hot and cold water temperatures, preventing water stagnation, removing unnecessary dead legs in pipework where appropriate and ensuring outlets that are rarely used are adequately managed.
Yes. Where suitable, an EPC and Legionella risk assessment can be completed during the same property appointment.
RETROFIT ASSESSMENT FAQs
A Retrofit Assessment is a detailed assessment of an existing home's condition, occupancy and energy performance. The information collected helps provide an understanding of the property before energy efficiency improvements are planned as part of a whole-house retrofit approach.
A Retrofit Assessment provides detailed information about a property's construction, condition, ventilation, occupancy and energy performance. It can help ensure that energy efficiency improvements are considered in the correct order and that potential interactions between different improvements are properly understood.
During the visit, the Retrofit Assessor will inspect the property's construction, condition, heating, ventilation and energy-related features. The assessment can include a condition assessment, occupancy assessment and energy assessment.
A Retrofit Assessment is non-invasive. The assessor collects evidence through inspection, measurements, observations and available documentation rather than opening up the building unnecessarily.
Retrofit Assessments are considerably more detailed than standard EPC assessments. The length of the visit will depend on the size, construction and complexity of the property, Typically they can take anything from 3-4 hours.
Please ensure the assessor can access all relevant parts of the property where it is safe to do so, including the loft, heating controls, hot water cylinder where applicable, ventilation systems and other areas that may need to be inspected. If available, documentation relating to insulation, extensions, previous retrofit measures or building work can also be useful.
No. An EPC provides an energy efficiency rating and recommendations for a property. A Retrofit Assessment is a more comprehensive assessment that considers additional factors such as the condition of the building, occupancy and ventilation as part of planning suitable retrofit improvements.
Yes. Retrofit Assessments can also be useful to homeowners who want a more detailed understanding of their property before carrying out energy efficiency improvements.
Yes, Retrofit Assessments form an important part of the PAS 2035 retrofit process and provide information used by other professionals involved in planning and coordinating appropriate energy efficiency improvements.
LOCAL AUTHORITY & HOUSING PROVIDER FAQs
LOCAL AUTHORITY & HOUSING PROVIDER FAQs
Yes. Daring Energy Surveys can support organisations requiring property energy assessments and retrofit assessment services across residential housing portfolios, subject to project requirements and availability.
Yes. Projects can be arranged across multiple residential properties, allowing assessments to be coordinated efficiently across a housing portfolio.
A consistent assessment process, evidence requirements and reporting methodology can be used across multiple properties to help maintain the quality and consistency of the information collected.
A Retrofit Assessment typically includes information relating to the property's energy performance, condition and occupancy where required. The information is then available for use by the appropriate retrofit professionals when developing and coordinating the next stages of a PAS 2035 project.
Yes. We are happy to discuss assessment requirements with housing providers, local authorities, Retrofit Coordinators and other organisations involved in residential retrofit projects.
NEW BUILD EPC FAQs
Newly constructed homes require an Energy Performance Certificate based on the property's design and completed construction. New-build energy assessments are carried out using the methodology applicable to newly constructed dwellings rather than the RdSAP methodology generally used for existing homes.
A Predicted Energy Assessment is produced using the proposed design and specification of a new dwelling before construction is completed. The final as-built assessment is based on the completed dwelling and incorporates the relevant information and evidence from the finished construction.
SAP stands for Standard Assessment Procedure. It is the UK Government's methodology for assessing the energy performance of new residential dwellings and is used as part of demonstrating compliance with relevant energy requirements.
Individual new dwellings generally require their own energy assessment and EPC. Requirements for larger developments will depend on the design and circumstances of the project. Please contact us to discuss requirements for multi-property developments.
STILL HAVE A QUESTION?
If you need an EPC, Floor Plan, Legionella Risk Assessment, SAP, New Build EPC or Retrofit Assessments in Hampshire, contact Daring Energy Surveys. We provide straightforward, professional property assessment services across Portsmouth, Fareham, Gosport, Havant, Waterlooville, Southampton and surrounding areas.
bottom of page