More than one in six landlords (17%) say that their properties fall into the lowest two categories of energy efficiency – meaning that they could be banned from the rental market.
From 2018 under the Government’s Green Deal proposals, properties with F and G EPC ratings will not be allowed to be let.
The finding emerges in the latest poll by the Association of Residential Letting Agents, which also discovered that over one-third of landlords (35%) do not know how their properties score with EPCs.
ARLA called for the Government to help landlords to achieve minimum standards, calling for the Landlords Energy Savings Allowance to be extended
Ian Potter, operations manager of ARLA, said: “The clock is ticking for the private rented sector to improve its environmental performance but the investment just isn’t there to ensure that this change takes place in the Government’s timeframe.
“ARLA has campaigned for the Government to incentivise – through tax relief – the improvement of rental properties. Otherwise it is going to be exceedingly difficult for the majority of landlords to find the funds to improve stock.”
While the Green Deal will offer landlords upfront access to funds, it is tenants, as users of the properties, who will have to repay the loan.
The survey questioned more than 1,500 landlords.
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Comments
No, wrong.
The Green Deal finance package is designed to be paid back over a period of time - eg 25 years. The costs of the installation/interest is spread evenly over this period - there are ZERO upfront costs to the installation.
The tenant will pay for the package each month through a charge on the fuel bill, however this charge should always be less than what the cost of the energy bills would have been without the Green Deal measures.
In theory, tenants will not be paying a penny.
The problem is that the Green Deal is designed to pay for the installation and save monry on energy bills over time. While energy bills will eventually be lower after the energy saving equipment has been paid for, it is unlikely in this era of short tenancies that a tenent will actually be around for long enough to reap the rewards. It is the landlord who will benefit by making long term improvements to his or her property without having to make any substantial investment while the tenant pays.
If the upgrade to a property involves substantial financial outlay to meet Green Deal proposals (eg a new boiler) I think the landlord should pay the differential in the utility bill as he or she would be the long term beneficiary.
"While the Green Deal will offer landlords upfront access to funds, it is tenants, as users of the properties, who will have to repay the loan."
Whilst the tenant will be responsible for repaying the Green Deal finance, the whole point of the Green Deal is that any payments will be LESS than the amount of money saved on fuel/energy bills as a result of the Green Deal measures being implemented.
Tenants gets cheaper fuel bills, landlords gets to upgrade their properties essentially for free, and people don't have to sit freezing in their houses in the middle of winter! What's the problem?