Airbnb pushing its landlords to become more energy efficient

Airbnb is launching a new Sustainability Hub to help its landlord hosts in the UK retrofit and improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

As part of a partnership with NatWest and Energy Saving Trust, Airbnb will add an additional £500,000 to its £1m fund for hosts interested in making improvements.

They are able to apply for a grant of £1,000 towards their renovation bill. Hosts can take an energy efficient assessment of their listing and apply for a grant visa the online hub.

This will also provide financing options from NatWest, includes a marketplace with government accredited installers and contractors in the local area, and a dashboard to track the progress of works through to completion.

Amanda Cupples, Airbnb’s general manager for Northern Europe, says: “As living costs continue to rise, we look forward to collaborating with Natwest on this campaign to bolster the UK’s stock of energy-efficient homes, benefit everyday Hosts, and help to build sustainable communities across the country. Our Sustainable Hosting Plan has already helped hundreds of hosts make energy-efficient changes to their homes and save on their bills in the process and we recognise the difference it can make to our community.”

The campaign comes after a similar £1m sustainability plan last year, which has already supported more than 500 landlord hosts retrofitting their home. Those who applied as part of the plan were given grants for improvements, offered a personalised home energy efficiency assessment and an action plan with information about potential steps they could take. 

Data from NatWest found that for UK homeowners, the cost of having work done was by far the greatest barrier to energy efficiency home improvements – although one in four millennials see a high EPC rating as essential when buying a home.

Tanvi Gokhale, head of strategy for retail banking at the NatWest Group, adds: “By surfacing our innovative financing options in the Airbnb journey, we will empower hosts to take proactive steps to improve the sustainability of their properties. This will enable them to make their homes more comfortable whilst also saving money on bills. Through this collaboration with Airbnb and by bringing together our respective areas of expertise, we hope to have a greater impact on the communities that we serve.”

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