Landlords to be Forced to Insulate their Housing Stock

For those tenants who are currently paying around £1000 more than average on their heating bills in private rented accommodation, help is finally on the way.
From 2018 private landlords will be banned from renting out properties which are poorly insulated and draughty, in a bid to cut energy bills for tenants and reduce carbon emissions in England and Wales.

The new regulations will impact on approximately one million tenants (almost 10% of England’s private rented sector) who are currently paying way over the average annual fuel bill of £1,265 because of poorly insulated housing.

We at SERS welcome this change and believe that it will have a dramatic impact on the tenants who are currently suffering due to their homes thermal efficiency; many of whom are also facing fuel poverty.

The regulations were presented in Parliament on Thursday and will force landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of thousands of homes which are currently rated a poor G and F to a minimum of an E by 1st April 2018.

If they do not carry out these upgrades the answer is simple – they will not be able to let out their property until they have improved the rating!

The regulations will also provide tenants with the right to request energy-saving improvements from 2016. Those who are living in F and G rated homes will be able to request to have measures such as insulation installed and the landlord will be unable to unreasonably refuse consent to bring the home up to an E rating where Green Deal finance or subsidies are available to cover the cost.

Need help improving the energy efficiency of your property? Contact Us!