Discussion
Sorry if it’s been done before. I weirdly can’t find the search button.
Anyway, I’ve been having a few EPCs done lately on buy to let’s we own (and are selling off) and it looks like it could be a decent little side hustle.
I work nightshift as a precision engineer so I’m free Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon every week and any morning or afternoon. If I could pick up a few of these a week locally I think it would be worth it, since I’m interested in my property stuff anyway.
I’m seeing courses for £850 but only to City and Guilds level 3? Is that really all you need to wander into someone’s home and assess it? (Plus a CRB I’m guessing?)
So has anyone trained to do this?
Did you make the switch full time? I’m not actually too bothered about doing that as I like my engineering job.
Is competition just ridiculous?
What are the pro’s and con’s?
Do you enjoy it?
Just some thoughts I’ve had as I’ve just rung my agent to arrange another EPC for next week and I just think “I could do that”.
Thanks in advance.
Anyway, I’ve been having a few EPCs done lately on buy to let’s we own (and are selling off) and it looks like it could be a decent little side hustle.
I work nightshift as a precision engineer so I’m free Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon every week and any morning or afternoon. If I could pick up a few of these a week locally I think it would be worth it, since I’m interested in my property stuff anyway.
I’m seeing courses for £850 but only to City and Guilds level 3? Is that really all you need to wander into someone’s home and assess it? (Plus a CRB I’m guessing?)
So has anyone trained to do this?
Did you make the switch full time? I’m not actually too bothered about doing that as I like my engineering job.
Is competition just ridiculous?
What are the pro’s and con’s?
Do you enjoy it?
Just some thoughts I’ve had as I’ve just rung my agent to arrange another EPC for next week and I just think “I could do that”.
Thanks in advance.
I have been a desk pilot my entire proper working career. But we are looking to move house so have been reviewing a number of these. Frankly, I think I could do it. The main thing is "Yes, I can confirm that's a house". BUT I am afraid there was a rug on the floor and I could not teleport into the loft so I didn't check those although I did "visually inspect" the roof - so I looked at it from the ground and saw there was a roof FFS.... There isn't a heatpump, they should fit one. No solar panels, they should fit some. If they have loft insulation then good if not they should fit some...
There, one EPC report....
There, one EPC report....
That’s pretty much how I see it. So many side notes to distance themselves from any errors. Even proper surveys are like that. I don’t get them done anymore beyond the lenders basic valuation.
But yes it seems very doable and could be a decent little side hustle. I just wonder if I’m late to the party and it is over saturated.
I’m speaking to my local estate agent tomorrow so I’ll mention it to them and get a view on local supply and demand for EPCs.
I think it’s worth a grand for the course, but then of course I imagine there’ll be insurances required and some equipment to purchase.
It would be great if I could do a few a week alongside my proper job and then when I want to wind down in 10 years time (I’m 48) then maybe I can keep doing a few inspections to bolster my pension.
Like I say I’ll speak to some local agents who I already deal with and see if there would be any demand.
Cheers.
Jasandjules said:
I have been a desk pilot my entire proper working career. But we are looking to move house so have been reviewing a number of these. Frankly, I think I could do it. The main thing is "Yes, I can confirm that's a house". BUT I am afraid there was a rug on the floor and I could not teleport into the loft so I didn't check those although I did "visually inspect" the roof - so I looked at it from the ground and saw there was a roof FFS.... There isn't a heatpump, they should fit one. No solar panels, they should fit some. If they have loft insulation then good if not they should fit some...
There, one EPC report....
All 3 of the EPCs we have had done have involved a lot more than that. They will go into the loft to measure the thickness of insulation, as well as a lot more detail stuff. Probably looking at 2 or perhaps 3 in a day by the time the calculations are done and the report is written.There, one EPC report....
marky911 said:
That s pretty much how I see it. So many side notes to distance themselves from any errors. Even proper surveys are like that. I don t get them done anymore beyond the lenders basic valuation.
But yes it seems very doable and could be a decent little side hustle. I just wonder if I m late to the party and it is over saturated.
I m speaking to my local estate agent tomorrow so I ll mention it to them and get a view on local supply and demand for EPCs.
I think it s worth a grand for the course, but then of course I imagine there ll be insurances required and some equipment to purchase.
It would be great if I could do a few a week alongside my proper job and then when I want to wind down in 10 years time (I m 48) then maybe I can keep doing a few inspections to bolster my pension.
Like I say I ll speak to some local agents who I already deal with and see if there would be any demand.
Cheers.
ukwill said:
Does the guy doing the report simply ask you if you've done any work since your last EPC rating?
No, all EPC assessors are audited by their registration body and need to evidence the data they input into the assessment. So every assessment will be completed from scratch to ensure everything is recorded.This frequently involves photographing and measuring everything they see.
I do EPC’s for new builds which is a slightly different process to those for existing properties but the auditing requirements are very similar. In my case 1in10of my assessments are scrutinised for accuracy.
3 assessments a day is about right for existing properties. Personally it’s not work I’m interested in as most estate agents are only offering around £50-£60 each so at best you’re looking at £180 a day before expenses and tax.
smokey mow said:
No, all EPC assessors are audited by their registration body and need to evidence the data they input into the assessment. So every assessment will be completed from scratch to ensure everything is recorded.
This frequently involves photographing and measuring everything they see.
I do EPC s for new builds which is a slightly different process to those for existing properties but the auditing requirements are very similar. In my case 1in10of my assessments are scrutinised for accuracy.
3 assessments a day is about right for existing properties. Personally it s not work I m interested in as most estate agents are only offering around £50-£60 each so at best you re looking at £180 a day before expenses and tax.
Thanks for the insight. We've had quite a bit of work done so I was wondering, as our current rating is based on the original house.This frequently involves photographing and measuring everything they see.
I do EPC s for new builds which is a slightly different process to those for existing properties but the auditing requirements are very similar. In my case 1in10of my assessments are scrutinised for accuracy.
3 assessments a day is about right for existing properties. Personally it s not work I m interested in as most estate agents are only offering around £50-£60 each so at best you re looking at £180 a day before expenses and tax.
ukwill said:
If you've done work to your property, some of which should improve your EPC score, how is that taken into consideration? Does the guy doing the report simply ask you if you've done any work since your last EPC rating?
The surveyor who did my EPC asked that I took some plug sockets out of the walls so he could visually inspect the insulation. I also got a letter from the builder detailing the renovation works that had been completed and specs about the insulation although I’m not sure how much that was taken into consideration. Catz said:
ukwill said:
If you've done work to your property, some of which should improve your EPC score, how is that taken into consideration? Does the guy doing the report simply ask you if you've done any work since your last EPC rating?
The surveyor who did my EPC asked that I took some plug sockets out of the walls so he could visually inspect the insulation. I also got a letter from the builder detailing the renovation works that had been completed and specs about the insulation although I m not sure how much that was taken into consideration. marky911 said:
...................................
So has anyone trained to do this?
A friend has.So has anyone trained to do this?
marky911 said:
Did you make the switch full time? I m not actually too bothered about doing that as I like my engineering job.
She did. Tricky alongside a full time job because the properties to assess are often only available on certain days and at short notice.marky911 said:
Is competition just ridiculous?
No. It might take time to get started but once you've shown you are reliable then clients (usually property firms) will keep coming back.There are plenty of people who have the qualification, But not so many willing to say 'yes, it's only 80 miles so 9AM tomorrow isn't a problem'.
marky911 said:
What are the pro s and con s?
It takes time to get started. Difficult to do more than 2 or 3 in a day until you get some practice. Also there will be periods with little work. On the other hand once you get up to speed some jobs can be quite lucrative, those involving multiple basically similar buildings can be finished in a surprisingly short time. You do have to be prepared to travel though, including overnight stays.She earns enough to have to register for VAT certainly.
marky911 said:
Do you enjoy it?
She does. Plenty of variety and she likes being her own boss. The jobs themselves can be interesting with strangely shaped buildings with limited access providing a challenge.98elise said:
I'd be interested in the outcome. I've just had one of mine reassessed (also selling up) and it did seem like a relatively easy job.
I’ll update if I do anything. Any income from this would be taxed at 40% tax due to having a main job, but I imagine I’d just put it straight into my SIPP so that’s not a dealbreaker. We’ll see.
ukwill said:
If you've done work to your property, some of which should improve your EPC score, how is that taken into consideration? Does the guy doing the report simply ask you if you've done any work since your last EPC rating?
Smokey explained it well but the guy who does mine simply checks out all the improvements and regrades it. Not sure how well my guy is audited mind as he has got a couple of my rentals up from grade E to a C for a few hundred pounds.
Despite past reports mentioning air source heat pumps, solar panels and figures of £15k.
I’ve been trying to get my rentals up to grade C due to the incoming new regs on rentals but now it turns out I’m selling up anyway bar two.
Worth getting them upto a C anyway as it makes them more sellable.
Good info Smokey and Austin. Food for thought.
I had a local agent out today to value a BTL we are selling and I mentioned the EPC thing. She said there’s plenty of demand in our area and although they have one guy they usually deal with, she’d stick me on her books for any overfill or if he’s on holiday etc.
So I think “Picking up the dregs” would be the name of the game when first starting out.
I’m happy to write off £850 for a course then a few hundred for equipment, my CRB check and some business cards, but that would be about all as I only want to do it alongside my engineering job, not instead of, unless it took off.
I’m going to see how work is as we head into this year.
It was dead last year so I was on basic hours. My overtime massively boosts things. I’ve come into overtime since new year though and if that continues it may rule out the EPC thing.
Definitely something I’d like to do though and it would be good to have it running into semi-retirement.
Thanks again. I’ll update if I go for it.
I had a local agent out today to value a BTL we are selling and I mentioned the EPC thing. She said there’s plenty of demand in our area and although they have one guy they usually deal with, she’d stick me on her books for any overfill or if he’s on holiday etc.
So I think “Picking up the dregs” would be the name of the game when first starting out.
I’m happy to write off £850 for a course then a few hundred for equipment, my CRB check and some business cards, but that would be about all as I only want to do it alongside my engineering job, not instead of, unless it took off.
I’m going to see how work is as we head into this year.
It was dead last year so I was on basic hours. My overtime massively boosts things. I’ve come into overtime since new year though and if that continues it may rule out the EPC thing.
Definitely something I’d like to do though and it would be good to have it running into semi-retirement.
Thanks again. I’ll update if I go for it.
I’d be interested to hear how your investigations into the subject develop.
I work for an SME (approx 800 staff in total) in the property sector whose main income streams are, for want of a better description, estate agency. Residential sales and lettings. Around 40% of our sales instructions require a new or replacement EPC. Around 30% (of the total) use our in house service. The guys who carry those out are also the photographers. Those guys would average four jobs per day, five days per week, 48 weeks per year. They’ll earn £28-35,000pa. London and immediate Home Counties. That’s a proper 40+ hour working week. Often comfortably above that. Legal minimum pension, sickness, holiday and other benefits. As near to zero job security as per most roles in the industry and sector.
Third party EPC providers charge what sort of sums? I genuinely don’t know. Our charges and fees are wrapped up in other charges. It’s extremely rare we would be instructed for a stand alone EPC. Think we charge £75. I suspect in reality we don’t make any money on that but offer it out of some sort of commercial expectation. I imagine most third party EPC providers charge significantly less. Happy to be proven wrong.
I don’t claim to have a detailed insight into independent DEAs but I suspect it would be quite hard to keep a steady and/or decent income as a main job without a very close relationship to a company providing ongoing work.
My experience, limited though it is, with independent DEAs or those working for organisations that only provide EPCs is that they are often working for extra money as and when it comes in ie retired age people or “mums” happy for inconsistent work levels. I suspect many of them are earning at low levels where income tax isn’t much of a factor but you’d need to take into account your financial obligations depending on how you structured your employment status.
FWIW the work isn’t particularly difficult in practice but in order to provide compliant work (as opposed to the standard of work you often read about as hearsay) it can go on a bit. An easy job might take even as low as ten minutes on site but a standard looking 3 bed semi could easily extend that to an hour on site. Plus admin and travel and revisions/reviews/revisits.
Assuming you source and schedule the work either yourself or by a third party (itself a consideration), beyond accreditation (exams and qualification) you’d need to pay an accrediting organisation a fee per job plus a fee to a provider who may not be the accrediting body for the software licensing. You’ll also need widely available kit (ladders, electronic distance measuring devices, tape measures, torch, iPad/phone, camera, and other bits and bobs. Transport. Insurances. Ongoing mandatory CPD and training.
10% of your work should be remotely audited. It’s very easy to fail those even for administrative misdemeanours. Two fails and you’re suspended until you jump through hoops.
10% or so of your clients will need significant additional managing one way or another. Typically they will want to complain about x,y or z. Whatever your view on their issue they will need managing.
That said, I’ve witnessed a couple of independently produced EPCs on site and the individuals were clearly cowboys. I don’t know how they’re getting away with it - or whether they do at all over any prolonged period but who knows.
Doesn’t look like EPCs are going away whichever party is in government. For a variety of reasons. The direction of travel is for EPCs to become more significant. I envisage “dodgy” reports and providers thriving in the medium term. I wouldn’t think of the DEA role as a particularly secure one, mind. Who knows?
Honestly I don’t see a consistent and decent living out of it but I’m not fully informed.
Best of luck.
I work for an SME (approx 800 staff in total) in the property sector whose main income streams are, for want of a better description, estate agency. Residential sales and lettings. Around 40% of our sales instructions require a new or replacement EPC. Around 30% (of the total) use our in house service. The guys who carry those out are also the photographers. Those guys would average four jobs per day, five days per week, 48 weeks per year. They’ll earn £28-35,000pa. London and immediate Home Counties. That’s a proper 40+ hour working week. Often comfortably above that. Legal minimum pension, sickness, holiday and other benefits. As near to zero job security as per most roles in the industry and sector.
Third party EPC providers charge what sort of sums? I genuinely don’t know. Our charges and fees are wrapped up in other charges. It’s extremely rare we would be instructed for a stand alone EPC. Think we charge £75. I suspect in reality we don’t make any money on that but offer it out of some sort of commercial expectation. I imagine most third party EPC providers charge significantly less. Happy to be proven wrong.
I don’t claim to have a detailed insight into independent DEAs but I suspect it would be quite hard to keep a steady and/or decent income as a main job without a very close relationship to a company providing ongoing work.
My experience, limited though it is, with independent DEAs or those working for organisations that only provide EPCs is that they are often working for extra money as and when it comes in ie retired age people or “mums” happy for inconsistent work levels. I suspect many of them are earning at low levels where income tax isn’t much of a factor but you’d need to take into account your financial obligations depending on how you structured your employment status.
FWIW the work isn’t particularly difficult in practice but in order to provide compliant work (as opposed to the standard of work you often read about as hearsay) it can go on a bit. An easy job might take even as low as ten minutes on site but a standard looking 3 bed semi could easily extend that to an hour on site. Plus admin and travel and revisions/reviews/revisits.
Assuming you source and schedule the work either yourself or by a third party (itself a consideration), beyond accreditation (exams and qualification) you’d need to pay an accrediting organisation a fee per job plus a fee to a provider who may not be the accrediting body for the software licensing. You’ll also need widely available kit (ladders, electronic distance measuring devices, tape measures, torch, iPad/phone, camera, and other bits and bobs. Transport. Insurances. Ongoing mandatory CPD and training.
10% of your work should be remotely audited. It’s very easy to fail those even for administrative misdemeanours. Two fails and you’re suspended until you jump through hoops.
10% or so of your clients will need significant additional managing one way or another. Typically they will want to complain about x,y or z. Whatever your view on their issue they will need managing.
That said, I’ve witnessed a couple of independently produced EPCs on site and the individuals were clearly cowboys. I don’t know how they’re getting away with it - or whether they do at all over any prolonged period but who knows.
Doesn’t look like EPCs are going away whichever party is in government. For a variety of reasons. The direction of travel is for EPCs to become more significant. I envisage “dodgy” reports and providers thriving in the medium term. I wouldn’t think of the DEA role as a particularly secure one, mind. Who knows?
Honestly I don’t see a consistent and decent living out of it but I’m not fully informed.
Best of luck.
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