Low Cost Festival 2013

Just a little off-topic (in terms of property that is) but here is the line-up for this years Low Cost Festival in Benidorm with headline acts Portishead and Glasvegas recently announced. A great weekend of music for sure.

More on the Energy Efficiency Certificate

Whilst the last two months have been extraordinarily busy for us at Ultimate Homes, the Spanish Government announced on April 5th via their Boletín Oficial del Estado that the much-mentioned energy certificate or the "Certificado de Eficiencia Energética" would now be obligatory for all properties for sale or for rent with effect from the 1st June 2013. 

These Certificates provide an energy efficiency rating for properties, with the rating graded from A to G (with A being the top rating for a very energy efficient home and G for the least efficient property). Energy Efficiency Certificates in Spain can only be obtained though properly qualified and registered energy efficiency assessors. These are architects, engineers or qualified technicians, who have completed the relevant Spanish government course and who have then been certified to carry out the work involved in investigating a property for its energy efficiency. Only they will be able to issue an Energy Efficiency Certificate (which will be valid for 10 years). 

Of course, it goes without saying that you must only use a properly qualified and certified assessor, should you need to obtain an Energy Efficiency Certificate in Spain. And for that reason we have collaborated with a respected architect and surveying firm who will be able to provide these certificates in a fast and efficient manner, and at the same time ensuring that each property has all the relevant papers so that we can continue to offer the property for sale.

Equally, vendors can obtain the certificate themselves but must check carefully to ensure that your chosen technician really is certified to do the work, as there is every likelihood un-certified ‘technicians’ may try to benefit from the huge amount of work that will need to be done to certify every property for sale or rent in Spain. 

What is without a doubt now is that the Energy Efficiency Certificate is obligatory, with very significant fines for anyone trying to sell or rent a property without a valid Energy Efficiency Certificate. Indeed, any contract for sale (which are hard to come by at the moment if you are a private seller) may be invalidated! However, there seems to be an exemption for rental properties, if they are to be rented for less than 4 months a year. 

The cost of obtaining an Energy Efficiency Certificate will depend on the size of the property, with prices starting at around 250 Euros plus IVA.

With the vast number of properties for sale it will be interesting to see whether many of those same properties will still be for sale after June 1st, with the real possibility of a fine if an energy certificate cannot be produced. There will certainly be lots of confusion over the summer months that is for sure.

For more information, or to arrange a consultation contact us here

More Discounts on Spanish Property

This isn't really the usual type of blog that I write but....
With effect from tomorrow March 1st, we will be offering various properties through our collaboration with one of the largest banks in Spain - Banco Sabadell - with a further discount of up to 40%, and these are properties in some cases already with discounts of 50%.

In short huge discounts available on bank properties starting tomorrow until the end of April.

Watch this space!!

The 10 most frequent questions about Energy Efficiency Certificates for homes

A new law which should have been effective from January this year required all homes (and commercial premises) that are offered for sale (or rent) in Spain to have available an Energy Efficiency Certificate. This is a European wide initiative which will affect millions of homeowners, and comprises a report on the home´s energy efficiency.

Whilst the new law has not yet been passed by the Spanish Government (it is expected in the second quarter this year),it will not be possible to sell or rent a property unless it has the certificate, which should be paid for by the owner.

Below are some of the most frequent questions about Energy Efficiency Certificates for existing homes:

1. Has the royal decree regulating the Energy Efficiency Certificate been approved?Not yet, but it should be approved shortly and is expected to come into force by 1st June 2013 at the latest.

2. Who can issue an Energy Efficiency Certificate?According to the royal decree energy efficiency certificates should be issued by qualified professional technicians who are authorised to undertake building projects and thermal installations for buildings. The property owner may choose the technician of their choice.

3. What is an Energy Efficiency Certificate?It is a report that describes how efficient a home is in terms of energy consumption. It assigns an energy rating to each home on a scale which ranges from "A" (the best) to "G" (the worst).

4. Will I be able to sell a home which does not have a certificate after the law is passed?
No. You will have to have a certificate before selling your home.

5. Who will have to pay for the certificate?The owner of the property to be sold or rented.

6. How long is the certificate valid for?The certificate is valid for 10 years. This means owners will not have to obtain a new certificate during this period unless they renovate or change the property in any way.

7. If I want to sell my home and it has a poor energy rating, such as D, E or F, am I obliged to make any improvements?No, you are not obliged to make any improvements even if your property has a low rating. 

8. Will a low rating affect the sale of my home? Can I sell it without any problems?You are free to sell your home. The only way it will affect a sale is how the rating influences the buyer.

9. How much will the technician who issues the certificate charge?As yet there is no established rate, which will be set by the local market. As a rough guide, the rate in other European Union countries is about 250 Euros + VAT for a 100 m2 home.

10. Will the technician need to visit the property?Yes. They have to visit the property to take measurements and collect information about the property before drawing up and certifying the report. 

We are contacting all vendors at the moment to ensure that the Energy Efficiency Certificate is in place prior to the law being passed.