A private landlord has launched a petition calling on the government to extend new EPC requirements on rentals to all homes.

Mark Thompson, who is based in Windsor, Berkshire, says it would be fair to set the standard for both privately-rented and owner-occupied properties.

The Government plans to force landlords to upgrade their properties to a minimum EPC band C by 2030, which means many will have to spend thousands upgrading.

Unfair

Now, Thompson’s petition on the House of Commons website claims it is “illogical” to only impose the requirement on rented homes.

We urge the UK government to introduce a level playing field.”

“Owner-occupied properties would not be required to meet the same requirements, which we think creates an unfair and illogical situation from an environmental standpoint.” the petition reads.

“We urge the UK government to introduce a level playing field by applying the same energy efficiency standards to both privately rented and owner-occupied properties,” it says.

Thompson told The Neg: “As a landlord committed to energy efficiency, I support better EPC ratings—but why are landlords the only ones forced to upgrade? Owner-occupied homes contribute just as much to emissions and energy waste, yet face no pressure.

“This one-sided policy is unfair and ineffective. Climate action should be shared—not dumped on landlords alone.”

Best and worst

More than half of homes in the UK’s largest cities have an EPC rating of D or below, new research revealed recently.

Rental firm Uncle looked at data across the 30 most populated cities to see which had the best and worst EPC ratings.

Blackpool ranked as the worst location for home energy performance, with 74% scoring D or below.

Milton Keynes was the location where homes performed best, with 60% achieving C or above.

Sign the petition here

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