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TODAY'S OTHER NEWS

New Green Homes Grant plans are ‘good news for landlords and tenants’

With just a few weeks remaining until the opening of the Green Homes Grant, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) is welcoming the initiative after the government accepted many of their recommendations about how the scheme should work.

Hundreds of thousands of property owners, including buy-to-let landlords, will be able to apply for vouchers of up to £5,000 for energy-saving home improvements, with the poorest getting up to £10,000, as part of plans unveiled by the government last month. 

The detailed plans published adopt the recommendations made by the NRLA including that:

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·    Tradespeople used for the scheme must be registered for TrustMark or Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditation.

·         The range of measures covered by the scheme should be comprehensive. The Government’s plans say that energy efficiency works should include some element of insulation or low carbon heat installation to qualify for the subsidy which can then also include a range of other measures such as draught proofing, replacing windows or doors and installing heat controls.

The government has previously indicated that residential rental properties should be achieving an Energy Performance Certificate rating of D or better by 2025 and C or better by 2030.

Ben Beadle, chief executive for the NRLA, said: “The announcement is good news for landlords and tenants, and demonstrates what can be achieved when the Government works constructively with landlords.

“Energy efficient homes are clearly important to improving health, reducing household bills and meeting the government’s ambitions around carbon reduction. 

“We welcome the clarity around what measures will be included as part of the Green Homes Grant scheme and encourage landlords to make use of this important initiative when it opens.”

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    If it's anything like previous grants it will be a complete waste of time even bothering to apply.

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    Totally agree. I wasted £200 on a Green Deal "consultant" and the quotes I got from "approved contractors" were much higher than local highly reputable contractors.

    It's a pity that successive generations never learn from the mistakes of their predecessors but they seem to think that 30 years' less life experience is an advantage!

    Incidentally I have NEVER had any tenants pay any attention to the EPC which is another waste of time and money.

     
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    • 05 August 2020 09:55 AM

    Any LL wishing to invest for the next 10 years or more will need to improve to EPC C status.

    My understanding is this will be hard to achieve without IWI or EWI.
    Both unacceptable.

    LL are better off getting rid of these dud properties now to ignorant FTB who don't realise the massive costs involved to make the properties sellable to other than FTB.

    Few LL will wish to buy any property unless EPC C status.

    Rarely can typical 100 year old stock achieve C status unless IWI/EWI etc is installed.

    It would be interesting to know from qualified installers what would be the average cost to make a bog standard 100 year old terrace property EPC C status.

    I'm sure it is a lot more than £5000

    Andrew McCausland

    Hi Paul,

    As well as being a LL myself I also run a building company which is Trustmark Approved and a member of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). As such we are one of the companies that can supply these sort of improvements. FYI the costs of internal wall insulation at the front and exterior wall insulation on the back of a "standard" mid-terrace is below the £5k grant level.

    Speak to your local FMB company - you may be surprised at what these grants can offer you at minimal / reduced outlay to yourself.

     
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    Must be at least 15 years ago that you could appy for a grant for loft and wall cavity insulation but these schemes were a waste of time they'd offer you a 30% discount but could only be done by recommended tradesman approved by the scheme who obviously charge 50% more than unapproved tradesmen. Anyway not exactly hard just to put lagging in the loft 🙄

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    Local council was pestering us to take these improvement grants a few years ago loft insulation cavity wall etc. The cavity wall insulation exacerbated condensation issues (caused by tenants drying clothes on rads).
    The council of course are blaming us for the damp now. I keep telling them that I do not go to the tenants house and dry my washing on their radiators & never had done but they not listening.

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    its a con-like aqll the green crap

    camerons fil gets £1000 a day tax free from windmills on his 2 estates

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    nb--a lot of retro fit actually causes significant problems

    remember grenfell

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    • 06 August 2020 15:05 PM

    It would seem that to achieve EPC C status required in about 10 years time IWI or EWI will be required.

    I believe such a solution is UNACCEPTABLE for properties needing this.

    If a property cannot achieve EPC C status without EWI/IWI getting rid of such properties now would be wise.

    The nearer it get to the required C status date the harder it will be to sell.

    Certainly few LL will wish to buy.

    There will be millions of rental properties that will not be EPC C status in 10 years time.

    Insulation apart from loft insulation is ugly and reduces interior space in already small properties like your average terrace.

    All those LL rushing up North to invest in terrace properties are buying duds.

    Even if grants can cover the costs of such insulation I doubt many OO would want reductions in interior space etc.

    The EPC issue has the capacity to upset the housing market in the UK.
    No way would I want to buy a house with such insulation tacked onto the outside or the inside of a property.

    LL would do well to sell these dud properties before anyone fully realises what will happen in 10 years time

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