1.7 million properties will never make EPC band C says survey
Problems for letting agents loom as Rightmove research shows many rental properties will never make the required band C required by 2030.
Letting agents face a major problem with EPC bands following research published today that reveals how millions of homes in the UK will never reach the statutory C rating whatever their owners do.
Rightmove says its research has been released to coincide with World Environment Day and shows that 1.7 million properties of between D and G band EPC cannot be improved to the statutory C rating.
It has been illegal to rent out a property with an EPC rating of below band E since April 1st last year, but the government says the minimum level of energy efficiency required will be raised to a band C in 2030.
Climate change
This is part of the government’s recently-announced plans to set the world’s most ambitious climate change target into law in order to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels.
In January a consultation on EPC ratings for rented properties closed. It set out how the government wants to upgrade as many private rented sector homes as possible to Band C by 2030 “where practical, cost-effective and affordable”.
Rightmove says landlords wishing to upgrade their homes can complete relatively inexpensive improvements to their properties including insulating a hot water cylinder (£23), low energy lighting in all areas (£38), draughtproofing single-glazed windows (£100) and increasing loft insulation (£223).
“It’s encouraging to see that there are some energy efficiency improvements that can cost less than £100,” says Rightmove’s Director of Property Data Tim Bannister (pictured).
“The bigger challenge is for those homes with much lower ratings that will cost a substantial amount of money to improve.”
Sales properties are not affected by EPC regulations yet, but the government recently proposed to force mortgage lenders to link lending to a home’s environmental performance.
This will be the final nail. The last of many retrospective changes.
I’ve got new combi boilers, UPVC etc. And I have many D’s & E’s. I ain’t spending £18,000 on a house I don’t want any more & am only keeping it for the tenant.
I totally agree with Chris Daniel’s comments. Landlords (and good ones at that!) are going to sell up and leave the PRS once and for all!
Is there Anyone that naively believes this isn’t a diversionary method of culling a huge proportion of Private rented housing, devaluing the price so first time buyers can afford it. The only losers being private landlords.