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A poor energy score often has an immediate effect on the consumer's wallet. He therefore receives high bills for gas and electricity, for example. But what if such a low-energy house comes on the market?
Well, the real estate sector will increasingly have to take the EPC score into account, says Febelfin director Ivo Van Bulck.
"A new important, and underestimated, determinant that the real estate sector must take more into account is the loss in value of existing homes with a poor energy score."
The energy efficiency of a home will determine its value tomorrow. Lenders will include the EPC score in their credit policy. Homes with a high EPC score can experience a significant price drop since the mandatory investments for energy efficiency will weigh on the purchase price.
Real estate agents, appraisers and buyers should therefore be aware of the importance of the EPC score. Only by taking this into account when valuing real estate will there be sufficient financial resources left to make the necessary energy investments after purchase, as requested by the government. And only in this way can we perhaps achieve the climate targets.
A combination of an excessively high purchase value of a poorly scoring home and the obligation to pay large renovation costs after purchase would lead to excessive credit applications, possibly exceeding the repayment capacity of households.
It is the task of lenders to ensure a healthy credit market, which could lead to more credit refusals. No one has any interest in this.
The real estate and credit sectors must therefore continue intense to work together to keep our housing and credit market fundamentally sound . Let us tackle the climate goals together.