A seller must provide a BER to prospective buyers or tenants when a home is constructed, sold or rented under the following circumstances:
- New homes where planning permission was applied for on or after the 1st of January 2007.
- All existing homes for sale or rent on or after the 1st of January 2009.
But this being Ireland, legal obligations aren't taken seriously. I once asked an estate agent why her company never showed BERs for most of their properties. She responded by saying "sure most people are going to renovate them anyway so it doesn't matter" :mad:
Sellotape, you should read the threads on some of the online forums where they discuss the wide range in BER ratings given to estates consisting of identical houses...
in Ireland, people don't take legal obligations and terms seriously. most people renovate it so building energy rating certs are not their priority in first place.
Its become a bit of a joke.
The cert is required by law to be offered with any property for sale or let.
I thought that originally the rating was to be displayed on the "for sale" signs to better inform prospective purchasers.
However, I am aware of three properties in sale where no BER cert was offered, even after the prospective purchasers had expressed an interest.
And then there is a common sense side to it that properties with no insulation (most pre '63 properties) are in general G-rated, so the whole "informing the public" thing is overdone.
Can only speak for myself here, but I view the whole BER thing as a bit of a scam! I can understand the whole theory behind the BER but it just seems like an extra legally enforced gravy train for the assessors. It wouldnt stop me from renting or buying a house and certainly wouldnt make me pay any extra for a house that had one, even if it was a really good one (on paper).