Wednesday, 8 February 2012It's called an Energy Efficiency Certificate and obtaining one is a requirement for any owner planning to sell or rent a property. Most landlords view it as another in a series of hurdles that have left Greeks strapped.
But potential tenants and buyers have a very different take on the measure, which is aimed at harmonising domestic policy with an EU directive that Greece is behind the curve in implementing. Bulgaria appears to have enacted it in 2004, Cyprus in 2006.
"This is a welcome decision," Angelos Skiadas, president of the Hellenic Association for the Protection of Tenants, tells the SETimes. "It finally allows the leaseholder to negotiate the rent depending on the energy efficiency classification."
Property owners will have to hire a recognised energy inspector who will assess the property's energy efficiency, classify the property under one of nine categories, and if necessary, advise on areas requiring improvement. The fee is 1-2.5 euros per square meter, with a minimum charge of 200 euros.
According to the environment ministry, about 60,000 certificates have been issued so far. Of them, 40,000 have been grouped under the poorest energy efficiency level (H). Only 600 houses were listed in the B category, the minimum requirement for new construction.
Skiadas points out that when someone considers renting, they rarely see underlying problems such as leaks, poor insulation, humidity or inefficient window sealing. With the certificate however each potential tenant will be able to negotiate the price depending on the category.
"I think it's a good idea as long as it's enforced," 30-year-old John K tells SETimes. A college student, he rents a one-bedroom apartment in central Athens but says there is absolutely no insulation. "The balcony windows are very old and there are drafts throughout. And of course, there's a leak in the bathroom. If I had known this earlier, I would have asked to pay less rent," he says.
Homeowners have not warmed up to the idea of paying out of pocket to repair or upgrade their properties in order to get the green light to rent or sell.
"It's preposterous," Stratos Paradias, a lawyer and president of the Hellenic Federation of Property Owners, tells SETimes.
"This measure cannot be enforced. Furthermore, it is ineffective and comes at the worst time in the midst of an economic crisis. It has changed very little abroad, where it has already been applied for four to five years," he adds.
Paradias, who is also president of the Brussels-based International Union of Property Owners, complains of the bureaucracy involved and says one demographic of owners will be hardest hit. "What are the elderly supposed to do? People who live off these properties," he says.
"I rent out two small apartments and I manage to barely get by. Now they want us to pay to renovate? If we had the money to do that, we would have already done it," 67-year-old pensioner Dimitris Tsatsopoulos tells SETimes.
Despite reactions however, the ministry is moving ahead with its energy-saving agenda.
"The certificate offers an added value to individual properties and to the property market as whole," Margarita Karavasili, special secretary of the ministry's Environment and Energy Inspectorate, tells SETimes.
"Ensuring all buildings have an 'energy efficiency identity' gives us a clear picture of energy consumption and will help us achieve our goal of reducing household spending on heating and cooling and unnecessary wastefulness," she adds.
Some buildings are exempted from the measure including churches, buildings of exceptional architectural or historical significance, non-permanent structures, industrial plants and labs. |
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Setimes
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