HomeLatest NewsTenants will pay the price for energy efficiency, say RLA
Tenants will pay the price for energy efficiency, say RLA
Posted on 03/09/2016 by Sulgrave Estates
The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) warns that the Government policies to improve energy efficiency will impact on tenants by way of higher rents. The new laws coming into force in 2018 mean it will be illegal to rent out a property on the lowest energy efficiency levels but the Government has removed all its support for landlords to fund this. A third of private rented housing was built before 1919 and these are the hardest properties to treat for energy efficiency improvements. Previously the Government supported landlords through a tax allowance and the Green Deal but both of these incentives have now ended. The RLA has been told that landlords potentially face bills of up to £5,000 up front for improvements.
A spokesman for the RLA said “Whilst we all want to see improvements in the energy efficiency of homes to rent, that cannot come at the expense of driving up rents. The Government’s proposals will amount simply to another tax on tenants.”