The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has welcomed changes to the government’s plans to reform EPC rules for the PRS.
The NRLA has been extensively campaigning for the government to amend its proposals that will mandate all PRS homes to have a minimum energy efficiency rating of ‘C’.
Now, the government has changed this timeline with PRS properties having to meet a singular deadline of October 2030. This replaces the interim 2028 deadline which the NRLA argued had been too tight.
Additionally, the planned cap landlords will be expected to invest to meet new standards will be lowered from £15,000 to £10,000. The NRLA has consistently called for a graduated cap linked to a property’s value.
Any spending on energy efficiency works since October last year will be included within the planned cap. The NRLA had originally warned that proposals to not include historic spending of this kind would encourage landlords to stall works that could improve the energy efficiency of a property.
Funding support for the sector will also be available, including continued access to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants.
“The government’s initial proposals were simply unrealistic and had no hope of being delivered within the timescales originally set out,” said Ben Beadle, CEO at the NRLA.
“The government has clearly listened to our pragmatic proposals to improve its plans, and we look forward to working with it to ensure its ambitions work in practice.”
