A £70m scheme to upgrade the energy efficiency of housing stock has been criticised for not being open to landlords.

The Welsh Government has launched the £70m initiative to upgrade housing stock to support the country’s drive towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2025. The scheme will run until March 2025 and prioritises lower-income households, help tackle fuel poverty and improve living conditions while cutting energy bills.

An analysis by agents’ body Propertymark reveals that the scheme offers interest-free loans between £1,000 and £25,000 with up to 10-year repayment terms with an initial six-month ‘repayment holiday’ to ensure the benefits of the improvements can be seen before payments begin.

But a statement from Propertymark says: “Whilst it is encouraging to see that grants provided under the Scheme can be used to carry out a range of improvements encompassing heating, power generation and improving the fabric of a building, it is disappointing to see that it doesn’t extend to private landlords. 

“Frustrating given the wide array of schemes already excluding landlords and targeting low income households … Without providing private landlords with incentives and access to sustained funding, it is unlikely that private rental sector energy efficiency targets and a reduction in emissions across the property sector will be met.” 

Development Bank Wales who administer the Green Homes Wales Scheme have told Propertymark that they may consider extending the scheme to landlords in due course. 

In addition to excluding landlords, the scheme does not cover newly built homes (those built within the last six months) and listed buildings that require special permissions due to being in conservation areas, which, given the variety and often historical nature of Welsh housing stock is a missed opportunity.