The government must publish a roadmap for energy efficiency reform to encourage landlords to prepare for higher standards.

The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) and Energy Saving Trust have issued a briefing encompassing views from a Labour MP and a dozen organisations working across housing, consumer protection, energy efficiency, finance and local government.

The group  welcomed the clearer direction provided by the government’s Warm Homes Plan and the revised approach to Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) in the private rented sector. 

However, the briefing warns that, with the deadline only four years away, ambition alone will not deliver warmer homes, lower bills and better living conditions for tenants.

A clear plan is now needed setting out how MEES will complement other reforms to Energy Performance Certificates, property exemptions, enforcement and financial support.

The briefing warns that continued uncertainty could mean landlords delay investment until closer to the deadline, creating additional pressure on installers, supply chains and enforcement bodies later in the decade.

Alongside a clear implementation roadmap, there is a need for:

1.         Greater installer and skills capacity – the UK Government must give businesses sufficient certainty over future demand to invest in training and apprenticeships. This should go alongside stronger quality assurance to ensure retrofit is delivered to a consistently high standard.

2.        Practical and accessible finance for landlords – the UK Government must work with lenders and the wider sector to support early investment and ensure publicly funded improvements deliver fairer outcomes for tenants.

3.        Clear and trusted advice – the planned Warm Homes Agency has to act as a consistent, national source of impartial and tailored information for both landlords and tenants, working in partnership with existing advice services.

4.         Stronger enforcement and consumer protection – simpler routes are needed for complaints and redress, with local authorities properly resourced so they can enforce standards effectively.

5.         Tenant engagement and protection – this should include clear communication and tailored support, particularly for older and disabled tenants and households at risk of fuel poverty.

NRLA chief executive Ben Beadle says: “Landlords want to provide homes that are warmer, cheaper to heat and fit for the future. 

“Whilst the changes announced by the Government earlier this year have made the proposed framework more workable, the focus now needs to be on making sure it can actually be delivered.

“2030 may sound some way off, but upgrading homes on the scale now needed requires landlords, installers, lenders, local authorities and tenants to start preparing now.

“That means providing urgent certainty about what will be required, ensuring the tradespeople and finance that landlords will need are available to carry out the work. 

“Likewise, giving landlords and tenants access to much clearer and reliable advice is essential.”