Labour to shorten landlords' net zero deadline by two years
Landlords could be banned from letting to new tenants within three years under Labour's latest net zero proposals.
Ed Miliband wants all private rental homes to achieve a minimum standard of energy efficiency by the end of the decade.
However, in a fresh shake-up on Friday, the energy secretary said landlords letting to new tenants would be expected to meet efficiency targets by 2028 – two years earlier than planned – or be blocked from letting out their properties at all.
Labour has also proposed an increased spending cap of £15,000 per property – up from £10,000 under targets proposed by the Conservatives – on insulation, double glazing, and solar panels.
Under the proposals, all private rental homes would require a property to achieve an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of C or higher by 2030.
The move was welcomed by tenants' rights groups, who encouraged renters to weigh in on the Government's consultation.
Tom Darling, of the Renters' Reform Coalition, said: 'One in five privately rented homes don't meet the Decent Homes Standard, and with so many renters in fuel poverty, it's vital that homes are made cheaper and easier to heat.'
However, Mr Darling warned that Labour's 'worthy ambitions could be left in ruins' if the party did not amend the controversial Renters' Rights Bill 'to protect renters from eviction and rent rises where public money has been used to improve a property'.
Energy efficiency targets for landlords were previously floated by the Conservatives, with a £10,000 spending cap.
Rishi Sunak ultimately shelved the policy in 2023 following pressure from landlord lobby groups. Former housing secretary, Michael Gove, said the Government was 'asking too much too quickly' of the sector.
The targets were revived by Ed Miliband, who said last year it was a 'Tory scandal' that tenants were 'shivering in cold draughty homes'.
Mr Milliband's proposals would see the cap on spending per property rise by £5,000 to £15,000, with an 'affordability exemption' of £10,000 which could be applied based on lower rents of council tax.
Labour estimates the average cost to upgrade a property to be between £6,100 and £6,800.
Mr Miliband said on Thursday that tenants had been 'abandoned and forgotten as opportunities to deliver warm homes and lower energy bills have been disregarded and ignored'.
Angela Rayner said: 'For far too long, we have seen too many tenants plagued by shoddy and poor conditions in their homes and this government is taking swift action to right the wrongs of the past.'
EPCs grade a property's energy efficiency from A to G, and a poor grade can knock thousands off a home's value. A Telegraph investigation found that the assessments were often based on 'guesswork' and that inspectors with just three days' training.
Labour is separately consulting on proposed reforms to EPCs, and is due to publish new guidelines next year.
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