domestic energy assessors
Fee for EPC
Hello to everyone,
This is a stark warning to everyone of you DEA's out there if you want to maintain a healthy business for your future you have to stop selling epc for stupid low fee. For stupid money or you wont have a business in 6 months time.
Stop with the £40 and £50 for an epc a reasonable ammount for an epc has to be between 65 and 95 depanding on the size of the property and the volume
You are just being taken for a ride by all the panels and estate agents,wake up and smell the coffee or pack up now and go on the dole.
I myself have been paid £75 for an epc which I consider reasonable,its not greedy and sits well in the market place.
Come on ladies and gents think on !!!!!!!!!!
Paul T
RJenergy.co.uk Ltd
RJEenergy is an independent domestic energy assessment company providing you with a first class energy report based in solihull, covering
Comments
Congratulations
Brilliant. At last there is a place where DEAs are talking sense. I'm fed up with other DEA forums where everyone is happy to talk the profession down, slag each other off and then charge £35 for an EPC and wonder why it's all a mess.
My current average EPC fee is £77.20 + VAT with an average 7 mile round trip. I may not get as much work but I make a profit. I'd have to do twice as many jobs at £35 each.
Now the CLG has agreed to data collectors - trained monkeys with a camera!
DEA FEES
I have been offered EPCs for £40 but have turned them down because I will not work for a panel or £40. If we all say no!! they will have to increase the amount. The panels are getting the cream while we are getting the skim. I know it's hard to say NO especially when you need to pay back your course fees (that's another subject**) and try to make a living.
I work as an Independant for 1 solicitor (that was all I could get, the Panels were already in charge by the time I qualified in Jan 2008). I am only getting a trickle of work from him (due to this ***property crash) at the moment I get £75.
I live in a rural area and have to travel some way to most of the properties. We have to stick together otherwise we shall all go under. The link is to http://www.homeinspectorforum.co.uk you will have to register but it's worth it.
Look for General HI and DEA Chat and then 'is it just me' by charlottettlaw maybe this is what we all need.
Fee for EPC
What a lot of DEA's charging £45 - £50 per EPC dont realise is that the panels they are competing against are charging at least £75. They then pay the DEA's who are daft enough to accept it, £45.
I know of a company who are looking for DEA's and willing to pay them £25k per year. Their link is below.
http://www.harvesthousing.org.uk/content/1101/domestic-energy-assessor.aspx
Fee for EPC
I received my first enquiry as a result of my dealocal listing. Unfortunately it was from another DEA (did not give a name but said he was from South Wales DEAs). Offered me £50 for a survey of a 3 bedroom property (He did not know what type of property), fairly close to my home. I turned it down.
Someone must have taken it as he did not get back to me; they would certainly have had to travel in excess of 20 miles each way which in this area probably takes 45 minutes each way. Add this to the inspection and writing up the site notes; someone has worked for 3 hours plus, paid for their petrol, running costs and lodgement fees all for £50. Do they have a brain?
Additionally, makes you wonder about the greed of the DEA that telephoned; bet he would not work for such a paltry sum.
John O
Lincolnshire DEA
http://jandyoxley.hipservices.com/
EPC's
I too have had several phone calls over the past few weeks, I quoted £100 for a 3 bedroom property, did not get a call back, I then quoted £75 and finally £65, non came back to me. I would assume they found a DEA who will do the EPC at a lower price. I have had several solicitors who are quite comfortable with £100.
I would agree with all the comments about pricing. Moving away from the "sell em cheap pile em high" type of mentality to a more realistic pricing structure, say around £100 for a single EPC would provide for sufficient funds to go towards a decent living as well as allowing further funding for more advanced training, after all, the EPC is a requirement, why cheapen it? Once you get into a price war nobody wins in the long term.
Brian
Fee for EPC
I ask for a base fee of £65 for an EPC on a simple 2/3 bed house or flat, larger or more complex than that and I negotiate - and still get it wrong! e.g. I quoted for a 3 bed semi only to find it also had 3 reception rooms, a cellar fully decked with a games room, a kitchen, utility room and a garden room. It took a full hour and a half to survey and at least another hour and a half to draw, enter up and submit.
I offer a full HIP service using a HIP provider adding the EPC to their search data etc. People are wising up to the extortionate mark ups from estate agents. I can even offer credit terms through their system, no-one has taken it up so far.
John Woodcock
EPCs and HIPs for CA, LA and DL postcodes
Fee for epc
Hooray, someone with a spine out there. You are quite right, stop this lunacy of £40 to £60 for an epc before long you will be doing buy one get one free!
Make a decision on whether you want to do the epc or not. There are companies out there that will provide the searches for a set fee whilst you provide the epc, thus you can provide the pack yourself.
Do not be lead on a self destrutive path for the greed of others. You end up doing all the organising to get into a property that no one wants you in, all the phone calls the petrol which we know is constantly going up, I could go on but you might of fallen asleep by then.
My message STOP ACTING DESPERATE.
Fee for EPC
I agree. I am an independant DEA and have not signed with any of the panels that are driving the cost down. I have chosen to market myself directly to solicitors, estate agents and the homeowner. My fees are competitive and I am proud to say that my service is professional and have received very positive feedback from the solicitors who regularly give me instructions.
If people bow down to the panels they will continue to reduce the price paid to the DEA. I'm sure that their charge to the client is still healthy enough to give them a nice profit. It will be interesting to see what happens as DEAs come to the end of their accreditation year and decide on renewing or quitting.
John Fox - Fox Energy Assesors
Fee for EPC
Yes, the market is slow for sales and fighting on price - devalues the training and a quality product. We have to keep records for 15 years. Its only realisitic to survey 3 properites a day - so £200 to £300 per day seems reasonable before you take out fees and travel expenses.
Get another income stream, until the Rental market kicks in. That way you are less likely to be tempted to drop the price on an EPC to silly levels. I qualified in Dec 2007 but have only just begun to market my services - due to other work commitments. I'd say to all DEAs that are in this for the long haul - wait, get an alternative source of income right now and things will improve. All the DEAs working for £50 will go under once their car needs a major repair.
Domestic Energy Assessor in St Albans and Hertfordshire
Market Healing
I totally agree with the previous post, if you are in this game for the long haul then be patient. Don't get into the mind set of being the most competitive it is a battle you will never win, keep your prices realistic.
I am of the Mindset that 2010 will prove to be very much better then what we have now, house prices will start to improve, buyers confidence will start to return and the market will start to circulate again.
Confidence = buyers = sales = EPCs even if the HIPs are no longer around.