Caroline Flint – a former Labour government minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown – has attacked some landlords for alleged under-investment in energy efficiency.

Flint is now ‘Chair of the Committee on Fuel Poverty’ and over the weekend made the attack while backing the current Labour government’s new proposals to clamp down on private rental property EPC ratings.

The government is consulting on making it law for private rental EPCs to be C or higher from 2030. 

The government wants a maximum £15,000 cap beyond which landlords will not have to spend to meet the EPC C rating, with potential for a lower £10,000 cap if renters are charged lower rents or homes are in a lower council tax band.

It is estimated that the average cost to landlords of complying with the proposals will be £6,100 to £6,800 by 2030.

But Caroline Flint has waded into the controversy, saying: “Private rented sector tenants have far greater risk of being in fuel poverty particularly in low-cost older homes. 

“The lack of investment by some landlords to end the scandal of cold homes has gone on for too long.

“In the last five years the efforts to reduce fuel poverty flatlined. I welcome the focus on improving standards in the private rented sector and the opportunity to reset and re-energise England’s Fuel Poverty Strategy.”

And Ben Twomey – chief executive at Generation Rent – also backed the government, claiming: “One in four private renters live in fuel poverty, the highest rate of any tenure. 

“If we can’t afford to heat our homes properly that makes us vulnerable to ill-health and other problems in the home like damp and mould. 

“Therefore, we encourage renters across the country to respond to this consultation to make sure the benefits of the Warm Homes plan are felt by tenants.”

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, has given a guarded response to the government proposals, saying: “We all want to see rented homes as energy efficient as possible, but that will require a realistic plan to achieve this.

“The chronic shortage of tradespeople to carry out energy efficiency works needs to be addressed, alongside a targeted financial package to support investments in the work required as called for by the Committee on Fuel Poverty and Citizens Advice.

“Importantly a realistic timetable is needed if the 2.5m private rented homes, which will not currently meet the Government’s proposed standards, are to be improved.”

And the Conservatives’ shadow energy secretary Andrew Bowie comments: “This misguided announcement will do nothing to lower energy bills in this country.

“On top of the warnings that Angela Rayner is nowhere near meeting her house building targets, and her Renters Rights Bill reducing supply and raising rents – Labour are proposing burdening landlords with heavy costs, which will inevitably be passed onto renters, instead of working to deliver cheaper and more secure energy for this country.”

The government’s formal consultation on the proposals claims it is:

• Offering landlords a choice over how to meet energy efficiency standards. This will require them to meet a fabric standard through installing measures such as loft insulation, cavity wall insulation or double glazing, before moving on to a range of other options including batteries, solar panels and smart meters;

• A maximum cap of £15,000 per property for landlords, with support currently available from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and Warm Homes: Local Grant which begins delivery this year;

• An affordability exemption, which would lower the cost cap to £10,000 and could be applied based on lower rents or council tax band; and

• Requiring all landlords to meet the new standard by 2030 at the latest, providing an extra two years compared with previous proposals. Homes that are already rated A-C before the introduction of new Energy Performance Certificates would be considered compliant until they expire.

The government is also consulting on a revised fuel poverty strategy, which it claims will focus on improving the energy performance of homes, supporting low-income households with energy affordability and protecting them from high prices.