Generation Rent and Greenpeace have led the calls for Labour’s EPC targets for the private rental sector to go even further.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband made the announcement at the Labour Party conference in Livepool, promising that “every rented home reaches decent standards of energy efficiency” by 2030, achieving an energy performance certificate rating of C or above.
A consultation is expected later this year, which is expected to include a cap on the amount landlords will have to spend on upgrades. This was set at £10,000 under previous plans and Miliband is expected to stick with a similar figure.
The Conservatives originally planned to reach the deadline by 2028, but the former prime minister Rishi Sunak backtracked as part of his relaxation of net zero goals last autumn.
But Generation Rent chief executive Ben Twomey says 2030 is too long to wait.
“The commitment to raise minimum energy efficiency standards in privately rented homes to EPC Band C is welcome, but must happen as soon as possible.
“This is a no-brainer to lift tenants out of poverty, improve our health, and address climate change all at once. One in four private renters live in fuel poverty, and we cannot face another six winters in cold homes.
“Any consultation must keep tenant concerns at the centre of this change, and home improvements should be paid for in grants that already exist for households at risk of fuel poverty.
“Renters must be protected from eviction and exploitation when grants received in our name improve the value of our landlords’ assets, while the government needs to be prepared to get tough with non-compliant landlords.”
And Greenpeace – hitherto quiet on the subject of private renting – expressed only muted support for the government too, saying it still has a long way to go.
The group’s head of politics, Ami McCarthy, says: “When it comes to insulation, renters have been left out in the cold and landlords let off the hook for far too long. So, we wholeheartedly support this proposed move to ensure the homes of those living in private and social housing are properly insulated, warm and cheaper to heat, which will also lower planet-heating emissions and make Britain more energy secure.
“This must come with measures to ensure costs are not passed on to renters.
“With 19 million homes rated EPC D or under in the UK, however, the government still has a long way to go to ensure that all poorly insulated homes are fit for purpose.
“Introducing a national renewal tax on the bloated wealth of the super-rich would be a fair way to raise the revenue required to fund these measures and bring people’s energy bills down for good.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today