One of the UK governments has backed a call for private landlords to get cash help to meet new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards.
The Welsh Government says it accepts all 29 recommendations of the Welsh Parliament’s Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee report on decarbonisation of the private rented sector, either in full or in principle.
This includes the call for them to provide more detail about how regulatory standards will be used to guide retrofit activity across the Welsh private rented sector.
In its response toe Welsh Government also concedes that the ageing private rented housing stock in Wales means many landlords may be forced to take drastic action to meet energy efficiency targets.
As a result, many will be forced to sell their rental properties, commission cheaper retrofits which may not be as effective over the long term, or pass the costs of work on to tenants.
Most notably, the Welsh Government accepts that the introduction of revised Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards by the UK Government may necessitate some form of financial assistance for Welsh landlords.
Specifically, the Welsh Government says that “if the UK Government introduces a requirement to meet EPC C and does not provide financial support, there could be a need to look at funding grants and/or loans to support improvements”.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, says: “We welcome the Welsh Government’s response. To say that landlords in Wales are faced with substantial challenges at the moment would be an understatement, so it is pleasing to see that the Welsh Government understands our predicament when it comes to retrofitting rental properties.
“This follows extensive campaigning from the NRLA on the issue.
“The cost implications of undertaking remedial work on ageing housing stock are extremely prohibitive, with many landlords currently unable to access any kind of financial support for retrofits.
“Although we broadly concur with the Welsh Government’s statement, much more work is needed to offer financial assistance to landlords looking to increase the energy efficiency of their properties.”
You can read the Welsh Government’s response to the decarbonisation report here.
