Red tape impacts on dental practice sales

Dentists looking to sell their practice will need to submit a report on the energy performance of their property before putting it on the market.

And experts say many dentists may not be aware of this compulsory legal requirement which comes into force in April.

Andy Acton of Frank Taylor and Associates and Phil McCabe of the Forum of Private Business have highlighted the new legislation to clinicians.

Andy said: ‘This legislation may slip under the radar as it seems to have been announced quite quietly and we want to ensure dentists are aware of this. Put simply, after the 6 April, the marketing of a dental practice just cannot happen without an EPC.’

From 6 April, all marketing for properties sold or let will have to include an energy performance certificate (EPC).

The responsibility for the EPC will rest with the ‘relevant person’ – defined as either the owner or the agent. Both will have a duty to ensure an EPC is commissioned before marketing a property.

Trading Standards Officers will also have powers to force sellers and agents to produce copies of EPCs for inspection.

And it will be a mandatory requirement for air conditioning inspection reports to be lodged on the central Non Domestic EPC Register.

Phil McCabe, senior policy adviser at the Forum of Private Business added: ‘Any costs like these are an extra burden for small businesses to bear. The EPC scheme is essentially a watered down version of the unpopular Home Improvement Pack (HIP) scheme, which was dreamed up by the last government but quickly abandoned by the coalition after it came in to office for being unnecessary and costly. We would say the same of the EPC.

‘Aside from the cost implications, there’s also the extra paperwork that will be involved. More red tape and yet more form filling for businesses at a time the Government is pledging to cut bureaucracy is just not necessary.’

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