Lsl Prop Regulatory News (LSL)

19 Mar 2007 13:06

LSL Property Services19 March 2007 For Immediate Release 19 March 2007 LSL Property Services plc Energy Assessors Joint Venture LSL Property Services (LSL) and Connells Group today launchedenergy-assessors.com, a Joint Venture which aims to be the market leader inpanel management and the supply of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). From 1 June 2007 it will be compulsory for sellers to have a Home InformationPack (HIP) in place, which includes an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)provided by a qualified Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA), before they can commencemarketing their property. Through the unique strength of its founding partners, energy-assessors.comexpects to have at least 870 individuals who are qualified and available tocarry out EPCs from 1 June 2007. Spearheading this initiative will be 300employed DEAs supported by 100 Home Inspectors together with 470 CharteredSurveyors who are exclusively available for the Joint Venture and are alreadyemployed by LSL and Connells. energy-assessors.com will have the capacity to supply in excess of 500,000 EPCsper annum compared to an expected total market requirement of circa 1.8m perannum. Both e.surv (part of LSL's surveying division) and Connells Survey &Valuation are leading survey and valuation panel managers and are able to ensurethat energy-assessors.com has the flexibility to meet customers' needsthroughout any fluctuations in demand arising from the peaks and troughs in thehousing market. Both Joint Venture parties intend to grow the business beyondthe 300 dedicated DEAs and have employment terms and training packages availablefor those wishing to join this new profession created by the Government. energy-assessors.com has already secured contractual commitments to sell 150,000EPCs and expects to win annual orders for more than 500,000. These volumes willensure that DEAs employed by energy-assessors.com have the widest choice of jobsand the greatest opportunity to maximise their income. Simon Embley, Group Chief Executive of LSL Property Services said: "Thiscombination of forces will provide enough energy assessors to service almost onethird of the entire market, which is reassuring for estate agents and thehome-owning public. This should resolve market rumours that there will be ashortage of Energy Assessors on the 1 June this year." Stephen Shipperley, Group Chief Executive of Connells Group added:"energy-assessors.com is expected to become the market leader in providingtraining for anyone wishing to begin a new career as an Energy Assessor.Therefore we are confident we will become the market leader in providing bothlarge and small scale HIP providers with a professional, timely andcost-effective means of delivering Energy Performance Certificates." -ENDS- For further information, please contact: Stephen Callaghan, Chief Executive, energy-assessors.com 07779 134 155 Or Sarah Randle/ John Wriglesworth at The Wriglesworth Consultancy on 020 7845 7900, or s.randle@wriglesworth.com Or Richard Darby/ Nicola Cronk at Buchanan Communications on 020 7466 5000 Notes to editors LSL Property Services plc is one of the leading residential property servicescompanies in the UK and provides a broad range of services to its customers whoare principally mortgage lenders, as well as buyers and sellers of residentialproperties. LSL's main operations are its surveying business, which operatesunder the e.surv and Chancellors Associates brands, its estate agency business,which operates under the Your Move and Reeds Rains brands, and its financialservices business. For further information, please visit LSL's website: www.lslps.co.uk The Connells Group comprises three estate agency businesses; Connells, Sequenceand Sharman Quinney. The Connells Group is the second largest estate agencynetwork in the country. As well as operating under the Connells and SharmanQuinney names it also trades under 11 other well-known local brands within theSequence business, including William H Brown, Barnard Marcus and Fox & Sons. In 1996, Skipton Building Society acquired a majority stake in the company withConnells senior management taking a 25% shareholding. Connells Group is astrategic shareholder in the UK's number one property website, Rightmove.co.uk. For further information, please visit Connells' website: www.connells.co.uk This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange