Energy Bill will end "draughty" rental properties
Thursday, 12 May 2011 12:48 PM
The government's plans to end the prevalence of "draughty homes" in the private rented sector have been welcomed by the British Property Federation (BPF).
During Tuesday's second reading of the Energy Bill, Energy and Climate Secretary Chris Huhne said: "The Government has made it clear that renting out dangerously cold and draughty homes is unacceptable. Landlords will have to improve their properties or face prosecution."
Huhne went on to say that, as of April 2016, landlords will be unable to refuse reasonable requests from tenants to improve their properties. Furthermore, after April 2018 all rental properties must have at least an 'E' energy efficiency rating. This will necessitate improvements being made to at least 682,000 properties before that date.
The BPF said it was pleased that the industry was being given enough time to make the improvements rather than being expected to do so "overnight"; however, the federation's director of policy Ian Fletcher also added: "If the capacity does not come on stream, or the Green Deal fails, there will be significant consequences in terms of reducing housing supply and potentially poor works if there is a last-minute rush."
Fletcher pointed out that this new target-driven strategy was riskier than the first draft of the Energy Bill, which called for a progress review in 2013/14 before deciding exactly what the rules would be for landlords.
He also questioned why such an emphasis was being placed on the private rented sector "when there are far more carbon emissions emanating from the owner-occupied sector".
However, the BPF expressed overall optimism, arguing that opportunities as well as threats existed for landlords who were willing to make the necessary changes. Fletcher concluded, "Landlords who start thinking about and acting on the issues [now] will be best placed to handle both."
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