Link Group comprises a number of award-winning social enterprise companies which serve more than 15,000 customers, making it one of the largest social landlords in Scotland.

The properties, in Edinburgh, Falkirk, Bathgate, Kirkcaldy and Livingston will be surveyed by DM Hall assessors with the aim of providing Link Group with up-to-date Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs).

An EPC gives owners and occupiers better information about the energy performance and carbon dioxide emissions from their buildings. The EPC includes a Building Energy Performance Rating based upon the environmental impact of the building and also offers guidance on how to make the property more energy efficient.

From January 2009 all landlords throughout Scotland have been obliged to provide an EPC before a property becomes either available for re-let or offered to the rental market for the first time. In addition, an EPC is valid for 10 years, though if there are significant modifications to the property, a new EPC may be required.

EPCs must be carried out by accredited Energy Assessors. DM Hall’s team of qualified assessors throughout Scotland provide EPCs under the protocol of Elmhurst Energy and while also being regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Calum Allmond, a DM Hall associate, who will lead DM Hall’s team of EPC assessors on the contract, said: “We are delighted to have won this competitive tender to assess Link Group’s six commercial properties. Our role will be to provide accurate and up-to-date EPCs to best inform the group how they might be able to improve their carbon footprint and ensure they maintain compliance with future EPC legislation.”

Graeme Bruce, Link Group’s director of sustainability and asset management, said: “Our aim is to be a sector leader in sustainability and understanding the carbon associated with our offices enables us to develop and implement carbon reduction action plans. We are delighted to have engaged the services of DM Hall Chartered Surveyors, who are well respected in their field, to carry out this important work following a competitive tendering process.”