Energy efficiency improvements can be requested from today

Landlords are reminded that from today, tenants have the right to request that energy efficiency improvements are made in their property.

As part of the changes, landlords will be unable to refuse reasonable changes without good reason. However, tenants must ensure that the improvements come at no cost to their landlord, unless they have agreed to foot some or all of the bill.

Funding

There are concerns that funding will be difficult for a number of tenants, following the abolition of the Green Deal in July last year. It was originally expected that this scheme would provide the majority of funding for this new initiative.

It must be noted that the initiative is separate to legislation stating landlords must improve their energy efficiency standards of their property to an EPC rating of E or above by 2018.

An energy efficient property is highly beneficial for both landlords and tenants, with costs being reduced. What’s more, a recent survey from the National Landlords Association revealed that 35% of tenants considered the energy efficiency of their property to be an important feature when considering a potential home.

Benefits

Richard Lambert, Chief Executive Officer at the National Landlords Association said, ‘we encourage all landlords to think about how they may benefit from making energy efficiency improvements, as many can be made with little or no upfront cost and can have a positive impact on the lives of tenants, their lettings businesses and the environment in general.’[1]

‘Lower fuel bills and more comfort mean that tenants may be inclined to stay for longer, thus reducing void periods,’ Lambert added.[1]

[1] http://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/landlords/tenants-right-to-request-energy-improvements-comes-into-force-today.html