Landlord responsibilities
These are some of the legal requirements landlords need to follow in relation to the energy efficiency of their properties:
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System
The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) helps us identify and protect against potential risks to health and safety from any problems in homes. The HHSRS stresses the need for a warm and healthy home and reasonable standards of heating and insulation.
We have the power to take action where the condition of a property could pose a threat to the health and wellbeing of the person living there. Landlords can be required to improve standards by the Council and put in measures such as central heating or insulation to improve thermal comfort. For more information visit our landlord accreditation webpages.
Energy Performance Certificates
Since 1 October 2008, all rental properties with a new tenancy in England and Wales are required to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).
An EPC provides a rating for the energy efficiency of a building. The ratings are set against standard levels so one building can be compared with another of a similar type. EPCs are similar to the certificates you get with domestic appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines. They give information on the energy efficiency and the environmental impact of the property, as well as advising of potential ways these can be improved. This information is rated on a scale of A to G, where A is the best and should have the lowest fuel bill. The average UK property is in bands D to E.
The energy efficiency rating is a measure of the overall efficiency of a home. The higher the rating the more energy efficient the home is and the lower the fuel bills will be.
The environmental impact rating is a measure of a home's impact on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The higher the rating the less impact it has on the environment.
Each certificate also has a recommendation report, giving information about ways to improve the energy efficiency of the property. The rating that could be achieved if all the recommendations were to be put into action is also given. New homes will have a reduced recommendation report which will contain more advanced energy savings improvements such as solar panels. This is because it is expected that improvements to walls, floor and roof will be already included in the design.
