A new report from the government’s Office for National Statistics appears to show landlords are ahead of the game when it comes to making properties energy efficient.
The ONS says properties in England overall have an average energy efficiency rating of 66 and in Wales it’s 64 - both band D on the Energy Performance Certificate ranking.
This is well above the minimum ‘E’ rating, with social and private landlords both praised in the report for being pro-active.
However, the government is targeting as many properties to hit band C as possible by 2035 - band C begins at 69.
The ONS report says modern properties built after 2012 score an average of 83, putting them in band B, while those built before 1900 have an average score of 54 in England and 51 in Wales - firmly in band E.
Those built from 1983 onwards have an average rating of band C or higher, and those built before fall short of government targets.
Overall, houses are less efficient than flats, with semi-detached properties in England and Wales scoring an average of 63 and detached properties 63 (England) and 62 (Wales). Flats and maisonettes are rated an average of 72.
Timothy Douglas, policy manager at ARLA Propertymark, comments: “It is now well over 12 months since all properties rented on a relevant tenancy in the private rented sector in England and Wales must meet the EPC band E rating, so it is good to see letting agents and landlords meeting the requirements and adhering to the rules - everyone wants to see rented property that is safe, secure and warm.
“However, the UK Government’s latest proposals for EPC band C presents a much tougher challenge for many properties across the country.
"It is of no surprise that social rented dwellings are more energy efficient because the social rented sector has received significantly more funding to improve energy efficiency than the private rented sector, despite being the smallest housing tenure in England.
"The private rented sector plays a crucial role in providing 4.4m households a home in England alone and if the UK government wants to see like-for-like improvements across the board and achieve their ambitious targets, then increased funding and resources need to be diverted from social rented housing to the private rented sector.
"With the wide range of property types in the private rented sector and proposals for a £10,000 cost cap, landlords across the country are being presented with financial and practical challenges, which if not tackled, could result in a reduction in supply and landlords exiting the market.”
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Getting to an E has been relatively easy even for some older properties, with some loft insulation, a modern condensing boiler etc, but 2 things will prevent many from making it to a C, and the majority to a B by 2030. 1) The construction type won't allow. There is nothing that will overcome suspended timber floors or solid walls for example unless they start recommending taking up floors and insulating below or sticking sheets of 100mm Celotex to the internal walls making the property 10% smalller, which brings me to my second point 2) Whatever is required to get these properties to a C or a B will cost tens of thousands, possibly even up to and over £100k in some cases. Where is that cash coming from?
There are 22m properties in the UK older than 1983, or 77% or our housing stock. Big big problem if you start restricting lending or penalising owners/landlords. Will paralise the housing market and PRS in one fell swoop, crash the economy and create an even bigger housing crisis. More carrott, less stick, is the way forward.
Quite right , where I live in prime central London most houses were built from 1860-1910 , there’s absolutely zero chance of any of them ever getting a b , especially when they move the goalposts yet again with even more ridiculous targets in 2030 onwards
And how would you retro fit them all, where would everyone go and live in the meantime?
This report seems to show that LLs are being responsible and doing all the things that can be done easily around tenants. The next level of improvements are so intrusive and expensive that many LLs will baulk at them. At my age I do not have time to recoup the cost of the 'improvements' required so I will be selling and I believe many others will too.
As I’ve said before it’s obvious these epc targets are another tool to destroy the economy , it’s all been a long term plan …
The future for the prs looks bleak
Why exactly would they want to destroy the economy?
They would hurt themselves at the same time......
too much insulation is bad for health of property and occupants
Top tip for all LL's - Fit a high powered bathroom fan that automatically senses humidity. Will save you having to deal with inept tenants that cannot understand the mould issue they are creating by hanging washing on the radiator. (They will of course moan that the heat is being sucked out of the house) Will save you money from getting sued by ambulance chasing lawyers.
An inevitable as all this additional insulation requirements stops the house from being naturally ventilated.
Act now before the climate lobby tries to get bathroom fans banned!
I've fitted high power fans where possible, I've also fitted constant trickle fans where there has been a problem, my electrician has also come up with an idea instead of an isolating switch he has found a lockable switch I will just forget to give the tenants the key
Will money we have already spent on improving our EPCs be counted as part of the £10000 or will we have to spend another £10000 on top?
For example I bought a flat last year with EPC G14 and have had double glazing, under floor insulation in part of it, low energy lighting and a Quantum night storage heater installed which has brought it up to a low D.
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