Is your landlord breaking the law by renting out a cold home? How to check
OVER a quarter of a million landlords are renting out homes which fail minimum energy efficiency standards, new data has revealed.
Landlords must make sure houses meet minimum energy efficiency standards by April 1 2020 or risk a fine of up to £5,000.
On average the improvements could save renters in the coldest homes across the UK as much as £1,368 per year off their energy bills, research by auto-switching energy site has found.
The auto-switching website crunched data from 18.4million Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) and is now encouraging renters to check if their homes meet minimum standards.
The certificates rate homes based on their energy efficiency from A (the highest) to G (the lowest) and they give recommendations on how much money can be saved off energy bills by making improvements like insulation, draught proofing or replacing single glazed windows with double glazed.
If homes are rates below and E then after April 1 2020 they will not meet the minimum energy efficiency standards - and landlords can face fines of up to £5,000.
Switchcraft's research found that tenants paying up to five time more for their heating due to poor energy efficiency.
“Our research shows renters in inefficient homes pay upto five times more a year for energy than those in the best performing homes”, Alex Dickson, head of research at Switchcraft, told The Sun.
“Tenants living in rentals rated F or G are the worst affected, with some paying over £2,000 more a year to live in some of the UK’s coldest, and soon to be illegal, homes.”
The £5 will be paid into your bank account within 120 days of completing the switch. *Prepayment meter customers will receive a £5 Amazon voucher. Open to those 18 and over. UK residents only. Click here for full T&Cs. News Group Newspapers Limited has a brand partnership with Switchcraft.
Meera Chindooroy, from the National Landlords Association said that they advise landlords to review EPC ratings and undertake any reasonable improvements.
She added: "Although often overlooked, making energy efficiency improvements help maintain the fabric of properties; damp, mould and frozen pipes are less likely in an energy efficient property and this should keep maintenance costs down.”
Landlords will not be required to spend more than £3,500 to get homes up to scratch and they can apply for local authority grants or Green Deal finance to help pay for improvements.
Dan Wilson Craw, director, Generation Rent said: “If your home doesn’t have loft insulation or double glazing, you’re probably spending more than you need to on heating.
“If your home is difficult to heat comfortably you should also contact the council because excess cold can make you ill.
“The council’s environmental health team could take action if your landlord doesn’t make improvements.”
A spokesperson from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: "Addressing climate change is our number one priority, including reducing household emissions.
"Since 2018, we’ve introduced rules which require landlords with the least energy efficient homes to insulate them more effectively. From April, landlords will not be allowed to rent out properties that do not meet EPC Band E or above."
Thousands of renters have been charged for energy used by previous tenants - costing them hundreds of pounds extra.
If you've fallen behind on bills then you might be able to get a grant to help pay for your gas and electricity.
We round-up all the ways you can make your home more energy efficient.