We'd love to talk to you, so if you would like some more information please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.

info@sturgessvandamme.co.uk

Telephone: +044 01275 349 011

Fax: +044 01275 349 368

LANDLORDS AND VENDORS MUST PAY FOR 'GREEN' CERTIFICATES OR FACE FINE

From tomorrow, Wednesday 1st October, all landlords and vendors will have to pay for energy performance certificates for all commercial property that is being built, refurbished, sold or let to new tenants.  A certificate for a small office might cost around £500, but the expenditure could run into tens of thousands of pounds for larger premises.  All properties currently on the market will need to have a valid certificate in place by 4th January 2009 or risk incurring a fine of up to £5,000.

Kit Harvey, a partner in Clarke Willmott‘s renewable energy group, commented: “1 October represents the final stage of implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations. Commercial and industrial property accounts for nearly 20% of the UK‘s overall emissions and, together with recent changes to the Buildings Regulations and the impending Carbon Reduction Commitment, this is a key component in the Government‘s plan to target this sector.

“This is a hugely significant step towards making sure that energy use is scrutinised more closely. The ultimate hope is that energy performance ratings will play a fundamental role in every property transaction. However, it will be interesting to see how the market reacts to yet another layer of regulation and cost, particularly at a time when finance is tight.”

 Ends 30th September 2008

For further information please contact Catherine McFarland, PR manager, Clarke Willmott, on Catherine.McFarland@clarkewillmott.com or 0845 209 1423

About Clarke Willmott:

This year‘s Legal 500 report pushes Clarke Willmott up 17 places to number 42 to join the cream of the Top 50 law firms in the UK.  With a turnover of more than £53million, the firm‘s income and size has more than doubled since 2000. 

Shortlisted for Regional/National Law firm 2008 at The Lawyer Awards, Clarke Willmott has been described as “the most ambitious of the next generation of national law firms” by Legal Business magazine. 

Clarke Willmott‘s lawyers specialise in commercial property, construction private capital, corporate, employment, family, finance, insolvency, dispute resolution and sport.  The firm has a total of 628 staff across offices in Birmingham (the firm‘s headquarters), Bristol, London, Southampton and Taunton.