Buy To Let
Could minimum energy efficiency rules be relaxed for landlords?
Housing Secretary Michael Gove says the Government should ‘relax the pace’ of change laid out before landlords to upgrade the energy performance of private rented homes by 2028.
In an interview with the Telegraph on Sunday, Gove said of landlords: “My own strong view is that we’re asking too much too quickly.”
The Government completed its consultation on minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rental sector in January 2021 proposing two deadlines for landlords. By April 2025 all new tenancies would need to be for properties with an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of C or higher. The standard would be rolled out to all properties by 2028.
It also proposed a national cap on the amount landlords would need to contribute to energy efficiency improvements of £10,000. However, the government did not issue a follow up response to the consultation leaving landlords in the dark over their responsibilities and how soon they would have to comply with the new regulations.
Gove said: “We do want to move towards greater energy efficiency, but just at this point, when landlords face so much, I think that we should relax the pace that’s been set for people in the private rented sector, particularly because many of them are currently facing a big capital outlay in order to improve that efficiency.”
‘Clear plans for energy efficiency needed’
Industry body the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) said landlords needed government to lay out clear plans of how they can improve the efficiency of rented homes.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of NRLA, said: “It is over two years since the Government completed its consultation on energy efficiency standards in rented homes. As a result of the delay in responding to this, there was never any hope of meeting the originally proposed deadlines, as we told the minister earlier this month.
“The NRLA wants to see properties as energy efficient as possible, but the sector needs certainty about how and when this will happen. Ministers need to develop a proper plan that includes a fair financial package to support improvements in the private rented sector. We will continue to work with all parties to develop pragmatic and workable proposals.”
