Making Things Easy

We take the safety of all of our clients and staff very seriously. All our staff are equipped with the correct PPE equipment to ensure that they can carry out their jobs safely.

Ashworth Group are operating as normal during COVID-19 lockdown. We have put in provisions to ensure that all our services: Inventory, Cleaning and EPC have not been affected. Please feel confident in booking your requirements with us as normal.

Wherever possible our cleaning operatives use industrial strength but bio-degradable, eco-friendly cleaning products within residential properties. These are free from harsh chemicals to minimize the risk of causing allergy symptoms. Rest assured that we will use the most appropriate products to leave your property smelling clean and refreshing every time.

We do recommend that tenants tidy any personal belongings or important documents prior to our undertaking any cleaning in an occupied property. Anything that could be a potential obstacle or hazard will be identified and moved where possible before we commence cleaning.

With our experience in tackling difficult cleaning projects we can review your needs and are confident that we can provide a bespoke cleaning solution tailored for your requirements and budget.

At Ashworth Group, we have built a reputation for quality cleaning and value for money. We are happy to provide a list of references from satisfied customers who have benefited from our high quality and specialist cleaning services.

You can book jobs on our Ashworth Group’s dashboard as a guest without having an account with us. Click https://www.ashworth-group.co.uk/booking-request/ to make your online booking.

Property Inventory Reports are most effective when both the tenant and landlord have full confidence in them. In our experience, that normally only happens when the inventory is completed by an independent specialist.

Of course, there’s little that you can do when a tenant takes a furnished property and returns it unfurnished after disappearing with the contents. However our research shows that it’s not just the big things that upset agents and landlords, the little ones can cause headaches too. Think about scuffing on the wall or nicotine stains on the ceiling of a non-smoking flat.

At Ashworth Group, we help take the hassle out of renting or letting so that you can rent in confidence.

A professionally prepared independent Inventory provides a complete description of a property, and its contents. Everything is included, from the type and condition of interior decoration to the number of saucers, and whether any of them are chipped.

Inventories are equally important for unfurnished and furnished properties. To have it prepared by an independent inventory service ensures impartiality and gives confidence to both the landlord and the tenant in the event of a dispute.

Allowing us to take care of your inventory needs provides you with several distinct benefits:

• Create More Time - Our service gives you more time to concentrate on more urgent matters. We take care of everything from booking the appointment to hand delivering the Inventory Report to your premises.
• Control Your Costs - Using Ashworth for your inventory needs will cost you substantially less than employing a full time inventory clerk.
• Never Miss an Opportunity - We have several inventory clerks available to you at short notice across a wide range of London areas – ensuring we can meet your needs as and when they arise.
• Records Are Always Retained - We scan and electronically store copies of all relevant Inventory paperwork meaning you will always have quick access to any past inventories should you need them.
• Digital Photography - We always provide you with Digital photographs on all our reports.

Inventory Sample

Using an Independent Inventory provider like Ashworth Group is beneficial in many ways. The most obvious being that you do not need to invest a significant amount of time in creating an inventory yourself.

Instead, you can carry on running your business and focussing on what's important to you, whilst having the peace of mind that a qualified professional is going to get the job done right.

Should a dispute arise about the amount of deposit to be returned, the protecting scheme will involve the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) service. If both landlord and tenant agree to use the ADR to resolve the dispute, they are agreeing to be bound by its decision.

In the case of a custodial scheme, the scheme will continue to hold the amount until the ADR or the courts come to a decision.

In the case of insurance schemes, the landlord must hand over the disputed amount to the scheme for safekeeping until the dispute is resolved. The scheme administrator will be responsible for returning the final amounts to landlord or tenant in accordance with the decision of the ADR or the courts.

If a landlord fails to transfer the disputed amount into the scheme, the scheme will pay the amount due to the tenant decided by the ADR or the courts and the scheme will proceed to recover the money from the landlord.

Renting property can be a tricky business, for both landlords and tenants. A marked wall, maybe a broken window or ripped carpet can cost the tenant a hefty deposit. The landlord may feel money needs to be spent on the property before it can be rented out again.

A professionally drawn up Inventory Report will protect both tenant and landlord against any unnecessary disputes at the end of the tenancy. If there is insufficient information or no inventory then there is no evidence on the condition of the property prior to the commencement of the tenancy. Without documented evidence it would be difficult to make a claim against the tenant for damages, especially in the event that that tenant contests the claim.

An inventory report is a document which lists the contents (And the condition of the contents) of the property. This includes everything: the furniture, fixtures and fittings, doors, walls, ceilings, lights, flooring and so on.

It is usually carried out at the start of a tenancy and details the state of the items and property at that time. When signed by the landlord and tenant it becomes a legally binding document and an integral part of the rental agreement.

In our experience the best way to avoid misinterpretations and disagreements is by combining the Inventory Report with digital photographs.  At Ashworth Group we take on average over 100 photographs per inventory and store any photos not used in the inventory on our secure server for future reference.

The photos identify all marks, scratches, stains and any damage. These photographs complement the written description of our Property Inventory Report and thus helps to avoid any unnecessary disputes.

Yes, because the inventory report will also point out the condition of the walls, curtains, carpets, bathroom, kitchen appliances and the property as it stands.

Some landlords believe that if their property is unfurnished, then they do not need an inventory report, because there is very little that can be stolen, broken or damaged.

However, just think about your beautiful white walls being painted pink and purple and the tenant leaves them in that state when they leave!

In accordance with the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, by 2009 all buildings in the UK that are constructed, sold or rented were required to have to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

An EPC gives information on the energy usage, running costs and potential improvements that could be made to reduce the energy usage and carbon dioxide emission of the property. An assessment is carried out by an accredited Domestic Energy Assessor who takes the information and processes it with specialist software which gives a rating for your property.

We need an EPC because our environment is under threat from climate change and a major contributor to this change is the burning of fossil fuels for energy production. Reducing our Carbon Dioxide emissions by ensuring we use energy efficiently in the home, work and whilst travelling can help reduce the effects of climate change

The first efficiency ratings were for electrical appliances to enable the consumer to make an informed decision on their purchase with regards to climate change and running costs. This rating system was then further extended to buildings in the form of an Energy Performance Certificate which gives the owner or potential purchaser an indication of the energy performance and running costs of the property with the additional benefit of showing where improvements can be made.

As stated earlier, all homes bought, sold or rented now require an EPC.

A domestic energy assessment of your home will involve both an internal and external inspection of the property. For the purposes of obtaining an Energy Performance Certificate, they can only be undertaken by a fully accredited Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) or Home Inspector.

When the DEA arrives, he/she will need to inspect, and make note of, the following property details:

• The year of property construction.
• Walls and roof construction.
• Signs of wall-cavity insulation.
• Energy-saving "green" devices (Such as solar panels, for instance).
• Number of double glazed windows and when they were installed.
• Number of open or closed fireplaces.
• Make and model of boiler and the type of flue and fuel used.
• Number of low energy light-bulbs.
• Type of heating system used and controls. (Wall thermostat etc.)
• Roof insulation and thickness.
• Measure the thickness of the hot water cylinder jacket or foam.
• Check for excessive window area in larger houses and take measurements of conservatories and extensions.
• Note the number of habitable rooms that are heated.
• Measure the internal or external areas of the home.
• Sketch and make notes relating to home and room layout

The assessor will typically be on site for an hour although this can of course vary depending on the property. Your certificate will normally be completed within 48 hours.

The ratings are measured using the same calculations for all homes, so you can compare the energy efficiency of different properties.

Part of the EPC is a report which will list the potential rating that your home could achieve, if you made the recommended changes.

The details of an EPC are not in the public domain. Your property's EPC will be stored in a central database along with a unique identifying number. Access to the record can only be made via this reference number which is available only to the owner/seller and potential buyers.

The owner of the property will have a copy of the EPC and potential buyers or tenants will gain access to it via the above mentioned database.

Previously a copy was provided in the Home Information Pack, but that was repealed in 2010.

Although a domestic energy assessment is mandatory, you are not under any obligation to bring the property up to any minimum standard.

The Energy Performance Certificate is very useful to the owner on advising where improvement can be made to the property and gives a guide to the associated energy costs.

No, an EPC can only be provided by a qualified Domestic Energy Assessor or Home Inspector.

Housing information:

Department for Communities & Local Government

http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/buyingselling/homeinformation/

Housing and Local Services

https://www.gov.uk/browse/housing

Energy Performance Certificate information

http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/theenvironment/energyperformance/homes/energyperformancecertificates/

Direct - EPC Home Page

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/BuyingAndSellingYourHome/Energyperformancecertificates/index.htm

Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO)

www.communities.gov.uk

Gas Safety Regulations

www.corgi-gas-safety.com

www.britishgassafety.co.uk

Electrical Safety Regulations

www.niceic.org.uk

www.dti.gov.uk  (PDF)

www.britishgassafety.co.uk

Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations

www.dti.gov.uk (PDF)

The EPC is required by law when a building is constructed, sold or put up for rent. Once you have an EPC for a home for sale, it is valid for three years.

• Sellers or buyers of homes - All sellers of homes need to ensure that they provide a Home Information Pack which includes an EPC for potential buyers.

An EPC must be made available to a potential homebuyer free of charge.

• Builders - An EPC needs to be provided to buyers of newly built properties.
• Landlords - If you are a landlord, you’ll need to make an EPC available to prospective tenants the first time you let a home after 1 October 2008. An EPC is only required for a property which is self-contained, and is valid for 10 years.

An EPC isn’t required when a tenant rents a room and shares facilities.

• Tenants - If you are interested in renting a property then an EPC must be made available to you free of charge. An EPC is only required for a property which is self-contained, and is valid for 10 years.

If you are a prospective tenant, an EPC isn’t required when you rent a room and share facilities.

Even if you do not fall into the above categories, you can still apply for and receive an EPC. This may be because you want to know what the energy efficiency of your home is, and make improvements suggested by the recommendation report.

Price - For information on our prices to conduct an EPC report at your property please contact us on 0845 539 0101 or email info@ashworth-group.co.uk

When a Domestic Energy Assessor is carrying out an Energy Performance Certificate review, the software used has to make common assumptions about energy use and there is nothing that we can do to change this.

However, the assessor might need to make some assumptions themselves and when this occurs they’re obliged to usually assume the worst. For example when a light fitting is discovered to be empty they will usually need to assume that when the bulb is replaced it’ll be with an incandescent bulb instead of a low energy bulb which is much more efficient. This is where we can make a difference to the overall rating.

There are many inexpensive measures you could take to improve your Energy Performance Certificate rating, such as replacing your inefficient boiler for a modern Band A condensing boiler or increasing your loft insulation and filling your cavity walls. There are ways to easily and cost effectively improve your EPC rating before the Domestic Energy Assessor visits your property.

Here are just a few simple measures that will show a distinct improvement in your energy rating:

• Give FULL Access - The first and most important thing to do is to make sure that the assessor can get access to all the parts of the property that they are inspecting, as any assumptions they’re forced to make are likely to result in a worse EPC rating. For example if it is not feasible for the assessor to access the loft region, either simply because the hatch is locked then the assessor will need to assume no insulation is present. The same applies for the hot water cylinder if the Energy Assessor can’t open the cupboard to see the cylinder then it’ll be assumed it has no insulation.
• Remove Oil, Gas or Electric Heaters - If whilst carrying out the EPC inspection the assessor finds any portable electric, oil or propane gas heaters within the property, they will be entered as a secondary heating technique. In most instances this may result in your property getting a lower energy rating as they’re likely to indicate a less efficient method of heating than your properties primary heat source. If you eliminate these heaters then only the primary heart source will be taken into consideration.
• Block Unused Flues - Any open flue will result in a lower EPC rating as they will be letting the heat rise out of your property. It is therefore advisable to block off any unused flues.
• Low Energy Light Bulbs - If you have any light fittings with missing bulbs then fit them with low energy light bulbs. For example changing all the bulbs in a four bedroom house from incandescent would make about a 2% difference to the properties EPC rating. Whilst this is only a small improvement it is feasible that it could make the difference to your rating if you are on the borderline between, for example, an E or a D rating.