Frequently Asked Questions

All privately rented residential properties in England and Wales must achieve an EPC rating of C or above by 1 October 2030, under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) confirmed by DESNZ in January 2026. This is a single hard deadline — the earlier 2028 interim was abolished. Both new and existing tenancies are covered.

The typical cost to upgrade a London flat from EPC D to C is £4,000–£8,000, and £8,000–£15,000 for a Victorian or Edwardian house. Costs depend on insulation type, boiler age and glazing. The MEES spending cap is £10,000 per property; spending more is voluntary.

Fines for breaching MEES Regulations 2015 are up to £30,000 per property per breach, enforced by local authorities. Letting a sub-C property after 1 October 2030 without a valid exemption is a civil offence. Repeat or serious breaches can also be made public on the PRS Exemptions Register.

If all cost-effective improvements up to the £10,000 cap still leave the property below C, landlords can register a "high-cost" exemption on the PRS Exemptions Register, valid for 5 years. You must keep invoices, EPC reports and quotes as evidence. Without a registered exemption, the property cannot legally be let.

The highest-impact upgrades in order are: loft insulation (270mm), cavity or internal wall insulation, replacing a non-condensing boiler with an A-rated condensing model or air-source heat pump, double glazing, and a full LED lighting switch. A combination of two or three typically lifts a D to a C.

Listed buildings and those in conservation areas may be exempt from MEES if the works would unacceptably alter character or appearance, but the exemption is not automatic. The landlord must obtain written confirmation from the local conservation officer and register the exemption on the PRS Exemptions Register.

Yes. Commercial properties let in England and Wales must reach EPC B by 1 April 2030 (a stricter standard than residential C), under MEES for non-domestic let property. Sub-E commercial lets have been unlawful since 1 April 2023. Penalties scale by rateable value and can reach £150,000 per property.

An EPC is valid for 10 years from the date of issue and must be commissioned from an accredited Domestic or Non-Domestic Energy Assessor. A new EPC is required on every new tenancy, sale or material change. Costs typically range from £60 to £120 for residential and £250 to £600 for commercial.

Industry-standard SLAs for BTR are 1–4 hours for critical emergencies (leaks, power loss, lift entrapment, security), 24 hours for urgent non-critical issues, and 5 working days for routine repairs. Our London BTR contracts guarantee under-4-hour response within the M25 and 24/7 cover, 365 days a year.

A BTR PPM schedule typically covers: annual gas safety (CP12), 5-yearly EICR electrical inspections, fire-door inspections every 3–12 months under the Fire Safety (England) Regs 2022, monthly emergency-lighting tests, communal HVAC service, water hygiene/Legionella checks (L8 ACoP) and lift LOLER inspections every 6 months.

Void turnaround targets in well-run BTR schemes are 5–10 working days from move-out to re-let-ready. Standard scope: deep clean, repaint touch-ups, appliance check, locks change, inventory and minor repairs. We provide fixed-price voids with photo evidence and a digital sign-off, integrated with property-management platforms like Yardi or MRI.

Yes. We work with Yardi Voyager, MRI Qube, Reapit and Arthur Online, plus bespoke resident apps. Job tickets are received by API or email, updated in real time with engineer notes and photos, and closed with timestamped evidence to support reporting and resident satisfaction KPIs.

Standard monthly KPIs include: first-time-fix rate (target 85%+), SLA compliance %, average resolution time, resident satisfaction (CSAT), open-ticket backlog, compliance certificate currency, and PPM completion vs plan. Reports are delivered as PDF dashboards and live data feeds where required.

Yes. We can act as the front-line maintenance contact for residents, scheduling access, sending appointment reminders by SMS or email, and following up after each visit. This reduces inbound calls to the on-site team by 60–80% in typical BTR schemes and improves resident reviews.

Reactive repair callouts in London typically cost £80–£150 per hour for a multi-skilled engineer, with a 1-hour minimum. Annual planned maintenance contracts for a small block range from £1,200–£3,500 per unit, depending on age, lift presence and communal services. Emergency out-of-hours callouts carry a 1.5–2x surcharge.

Yes. The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 require every landlord to obtain an annual Gas Safety Record (CP12) from a Gas Safe registered engineer, covering all gas appliances and flues. A copy must be given to tenants within 28 days. Failure can invalidate a Section 21 notice and lead to unlimited fines.

Private landlords in England must have a satisfactory Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) every 5 years under the Electrical Safety Standards Regulations 2020, issued by a NICEIC or NAPIT registered electrician. Any C1, C2 or FI codes must be remedied within 28 days, with written confirmation given to tenants.

Under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, the Responsible Person must complete an annual Fire Risk Assessment, inspect flat entrance doors (quarterly in blocks above 11m), test communal fire doors monthly, and provide fire-safety information to residents. Blocks above 18m must register with the Building Safety Regulator.

Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) is the inspection of electrical appliances to ensure they are safe to use. There is no fixed legal frequency, but HSE guidance recommends annually for furnished rented properties and commercial environments. Each tested item receives a pass/fail label and is logged in a certificate.

Planned preventive maintenance (PPM) typically costs 25–40% less per year than purely reactive maintenance over a 5-year horizon, because early intervention prevents catastrophic failures (boiler replacement, pipe bursts, lift breakdowns). PPM also smooths cash flow and protects EPC ratings — critical with MEES 2030 approaching.

Yes. We run a 24/7/365 dispatch line covering Greater London and home counties within 40km of EC1V. Multi-skilled engineers cover plumbing, electrics, heating, locks, glazing and make-safe works. Typical on-site arrival is under 90 minutes for critical jobs inside the M25.

Daily office cleaning in London ranges from £1.20–£2.50 per m² per month, depending on frequency, building grade and out-of-hours requirements. Communal-area cleaning for residential blocks is typically priced per visit (£45–£120) rather than per m². Post-construction sparkle cleans are usually £2–£5 per m².

Yes. Our default product range is EU Ecolabel or Nordic Swan certified, phosphate-free, with recyclable packaging. We also use microfibre systems that cut chemical use by up to 70%, and concentrated dilution-control products to reduce plastic waste. Bespoke green specs are available on request.

A post-construction or "sparkle" clean is the final deep clean after building works, removing dust, paint splatter, adhesive residue and labels from glass, fixtures and appliances. It is normally split into two visits: a builders clean during snagging, then a final sparkle clean 24–48 hours before handover.

For most London residential blocks, communal areas (entrance hall, stairs, lifts, corridors) should be cleaned weekly, with bin-store and external area cleans fortnightly. Higher-spec BTR and PRS schemes often run daily or 3-times-weekly cleans plus monthly deep cleans of floors and glass.

Yes. All operatives are right-to-work checked, DBS verified where required, uniformed and ID-badged. We hold £5m Public Liability and Employers Liability insurance, are SafeContractor accredited, and provide site-specific RAMS and COSHH documentation before mobilisation.

Many internal renovations and like-for-like works fall under permitted development and need no planning permission, but extensions, loft conversions, listed buildings, conservation-area changes and Article 4 zones almost always do. Building Regulations approval is separate and usually still required even when planning is not.

A full flat renovation in London in 2026 costs £1,200–£2,500 per m² for mid-spec, £2,500–£4,000 per m² for high-spec, and £4,000+ per m² for prime central London with bespoke joinery. Kitchen and bathroom replacements typically account for 35–45% of the budget.

A two-bed London flat refurbishment typically takes 8–14 weeks on site for cosmetic and kitchen/bathroom works, and 16–24 weeks for full strip-out, rewire, replumb and structural alterations. Programme depends on lift access, party-wall agreements and lead times for bespoke joinery.

A Party Wall Notice is a legally required written notice to neighbours under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, served at least 2 months before works on a shared wall, line of junction, or excavation within 3–6m of a neighbouring property. Failure to serve can trigger a court injunction.

Yes. We offer full design-and-build: architectural drawings, structural calculations, planning applications, Building Control liaison, and CDM 2015 Principal Designer duties. One contract, one point of contact, and a fixed-price construction phase once design is finalised.

Yes. We have completed Grade II refurbishments in conservation areas across Islington, Camden and Westminster. Listed Building Consent is required for any work affecting character — interior or exterior — and we manage the application, conservation-officer liaison, and use of period-appropriate materials.

All workmanship is covered by a 12-month defects warranty from practical completion. Materials carry manufacturer warranties (boilers 7–10 years, windows 10 years, roofing membranes 15–25 years). Larger projects can be backed by an IWA or LABC structural warranty (10 years) on request.

We cover all 32 London boroughs, the City of London, and surrounding home counties within roughly a 40km radius of our Old Street HQ (EC1V 9JL). Most works in Zones 1–3 receive same-day or next-day attendance; outer zones and home counties are scheduled within 48–72 hours.

Alban Holloway Limited is SafeContractor accredited, Gas Safe registered, and works with NICEIC-registered electrical contractors. We hold £5m Public Liability and Employers Liability insurance, are CHAS-compliant, and follow CDM 2015 and ISO 9001 quality processes on managed projects.

For reactive jobs we issue a fixed-price or capped quote within 24 hours of survey. For planned works (renovations, PPM contracts, EPC upgrades) detailed quotations are returned within 5 working days, including breakdown of labour, materials, programme and exclusions.

Standard terms are 14 days from invoice for managing agents and corporate clients (with credit account on application), and staged payments on projects above £10,000. We accept BACS, card and direct debit. No deposit is required for jobs under £2,000.

Our core trades — multi-skilled maintenance engineers, cleaners and supervisors — are directly employed. For specialist works (high-voltage electrical, lift engineering, asbestos removal) we use a vetted panel of long-standing subcontractors, each pre-qualified through SafeContractor and our own audit.

Our 24/7 emergency line is 07894 879045 — answered by a live dispatcher, not voicemail. For non-emergency requests, email info@albanholloway.co.uk and you will receive a response within 4 working hours during business days (Mon–Fri, 08:00–18:00).

Yes. We offer 12-month fixed-price service contracts covering PPM, statutory compliance, agreed-scope reactive works and reporting. Pricing is based on portfolio size and service level (Bronze, Silver, Gold). Contracts include named account manager and quarterly review meetings.