Energy Performance Certificates in West Hampstead

Common property types

• West End Lane Terrace Conversions: The Victorian terraces running off West End Lane and towards Fortune Green Road are the most common property type in West Hampstead. These two- and three-storey terraced houses have been converted into two or three flats, typically retaining solid brick walls and high ceilings. Assessors record the heating system, glazing specification, and any loft insulation present in the roof space above the top flat.
• Broadhurst Gardens Flats: Broadhurst Gardens is one of West Hampstead's most sought-after streets and contains both converted Victorian houses and purpose-built Edwardian mansion blocks. The mansion block flats have solid brick construction and characteristically generous proportions. Heating in these properties varies between individual gas boilers and older communal systems, and assessors verify the setup on site.
• Mill Lane Smaller Terraces: The streets around Mill Lane contain a mix of smaller Victorian terraces and post-war social housing that together represent an important part of West Hampstead's residential stock. The post-war terraces and maisonettes often have cavity wall construction and have benefited from retrospective insulation programmes, giving them better baseline ratings than the older Victorian stock.
• Fortune Green Modern Blocks: The area around Fortune Green Road and Lymington Road has seen new residential development in recent years. These modern blocks, built to contemporary standards, have high levels of insulation, double or triple glazing, and efficient heating systems. They typically achieve B or A ratings. Assessors verify the as-built specifications using the energy performance certificate from the original construction where available.

Typical EPC issues we find in West Hampstead

• High Volume of Conversion Flats: West Hampstead has a very high concentration of conversion flats in Victorian terraces. These properties often have unique configurations with heat loss through party walls to neighbouring flats and through common stairwells. Accurate assessment requires care in identifying which surfaces are exposed and which are party elements.
• Single-Glazed Front Elevations: Many West Hampstead conversion flats retain original single-glazed sash windows on the front elevation, even where the rear has been updated. This split specification is common and results in higher calculated heat loss than a fully double-glazed property.
• Missing Loft Insulation Data: Accessing the roof space of a conversion flat often depends on co-operation between leaseholders and the freeholder. Where access is not possible, assessors must use default assumptions for insulation, which can be conservative and result in lower ratings than the actual property warrants.
• Older Boilers in Long-Let Properties: Properties that have been tenanted for extended periods without significant refurbishment often have older boilers that have been maintained but not replaced. An older non-condensing boiler operating at 78% efficiency is noticeably worse than a modern condensing boiler at 93% and directly impacts the rating.