Environmental issues could soon have a direct impact on how much people are paying for homes.
The government's new Home Information Pack scheme (Hips) will launch on June 1st with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) now confirmed as coming as a mandatory requirement for every pack.
EPCs will rate a home from A to G according to its levels of energy efficiency and amount of carbon emissions – and a low ranking could mean less bargaining power for sellers.
Julian Brooks, managing director of eco-friendly property website GreenMoves, told the Independent: "The EPC makes the invisible visible so is likely to be used as a bargaining tool by buyers negotiating the price of a property."
EPCs are seen as one of the government's strongest tools in the fight against carbon emissions, with nearly a quarter of these coming from the home.
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