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.
Want to comment on this story? Our focus is on providing a platform for you to share your insights and views and we welcome contributions.
If any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.
Please help us by reporting comments you consider to be unduly offensive so we can review and take action if necessary. Thank you.
.png)
Join the conversation
Jump to latest comment and add your reply
Sounds very positive. The MEES Regs (bought in 8 years ago by David Cameron's Conservative Government) have already improved or outlawed the most energy wasteful PRS houses and flats in the UK - EPC Grade F and G. The next MEES Regs will improve or outlaw the other energy wasteful PRS houses and flats - EPC Grade D and E. All very simple and us landlords have been given years and years of prior written notice by the Conservative Government. We need to get a draft predicted EPC (from a good local energy assessor ) showing an EPC Grade C and then insulate the walls, roof and loft, and install an efficient heating system - gas combi or Dimplex night storage heaters. This should be done, ideally, when the house or flat is in-between tenancies - that's why the Government told us to start this process 8 years ago!
its not the money - its the use of the wrong metric, the mixed messaging on gas & electricity & the ridiculous recommendations that stop LLs from making upgrades. Until there is a reliable measure of energy efficiency & clear guidance from the Govt you would be a fool to do anything other than the obvious upgrades.
Will there be any private rented homes left in Wales ? Seems to me most landlords with rented properties in Wales are selling up, can't see many new landlords wanting to buy in Wales
They would have to be learning impaired.
I don’t care anymore 👎🏻 Come what may I have decided to sell and leave the PRS, the rules are forever changing, so a C in 2028, can become a B in 2032 🆘🆘
Martin are you really a Landlord?.
The idea of owning rented Property is to make a profit, if we did everything the Government told us we would be losing more money than we already are. Also as someone else commented, the Govt haven’t got a clue what they are doing, they are happy to jump into, so called new technology without a care, because when it turns out to be a failure it costs them nothing. They are not accountable for their half witted ideas. We all want a better environment but it has to be properly thought through and by someone who has the knowledge, not a straight from University unworldly MP.
Wall insulation is not only prohibatively expensive it is also a wall barrier behind which condensation/natural damp absorbtion/penetration will not be able to evaporate off the wall surface storing up future problems. Those in the building conservation industry are very concerned about its use.
There is a limit to how energy efficient an older property can be made, but knocking them all down is not practical nor energy efficient as the carbon created in manufacturing and building from new far exceeds the limited impact of a good retrofit upgrade ( not wall insulation though!)
Surely it makes sense to mandate all homes, not just rented ones, to improve to a D rating. That would be better but this government just wants to drive LL's out of PRS. It's strange because it's not like government have alternative accommodation to put these people into.
Please login to comment