SNP councillors in Scotland have come up with an innovative suggestion to improve energy efficiency in private rental properties.

They want councils to have the power to enforce the improvements, fund them upfront from council coffers, and then reclaim the cost when the property is eventually sold.

Two senior SNP members of Glasgow council – Ruairi Kelly and Kenny McLean – want to see rules around Scottish Government grants relaxed to allow the idea to become reality. 

The pair claim that many landlords are unable or unwilling to pay upfront for upgrades; this not only impacts individual rental properties but can effectively block energy improvements in larger multi-property units if one or more of the landlords object. 

The councillors want local authorities to be able to compel landlords to carry out the work under council guidance, with costs recovered when the properties are sold. 

They would also like to see more flexibility about the criteria for private landlord properties.

McLean is quoted on the Glasgow World news website as saying: “The requirement for landlords to pay upfront is a barrier to getting work to improve homes completed. We would support ministers making changes which allow the council to compulsorily carry out this work and recover the costs when the property is sold. This is similar to what already happens with emergency repairs. We get the work done and build recouping the cost into the landlord’s deeds.”

And Kelly is quoted as saying: “We’re not talking about landlords in communities … getting off the hook for the condition of their properties or for their refusal to invest in them. We’re saying that consideration must be given to the sheer numbers of private rented flats in Glasgow, the needs of the tenants and the fact that the current restrictions can mean that adjoining homes can’t get work done.”

The SNP-controlled Scottish Government says it already has a fund available for private landlords to assist with upfront energy efficiency costs, known as the Private Rented Sector Loan scheme.