Activists in the Generation Rent group want tenants to be given refunds if rental properties do not meet energy efficiency standards.
This is one of a series of demands made by the activists, who have used funding by the European Climate Foundation to produce a new report.
The demand says: “Renters can’t claim rent back if a landlord doesn’t meet the new minimum energy efficiency standards.
“Allowing renters to claim a Rent Repayment Order if their home doesn’t meet EPC C from 2030 (unless the home is exempt) would encourage renters to hold landlords who don’t meet the new regulations to account, reducing pressure on council enforcement teams.”
Generation Rent claims that private renters in England and Wales “are living in cold, damp and mouldy homes and forking out vast sums every month for the privilege.”
And it claims that renters are most likely to experience fuel poverty, suggesting that over 40% are regularly struggling to pay their energy bills.
Ben Twomey, Generation Rent’s chief executive, says: “Getting this policy right will be crucial.
“Many powerful forces have criticised the push towards net zero in recent years, claiming it will cost those who can least afford to pay, while landlord lobbyists have long claimed that they will have no choice but to hike rents after retrofit work.
“Improving the energy efficiency of private rented homes therefore sits at the intersection of social justice and climate change. If the government chooses to leave renters vulnerable to sudden, unaffordable rent increases, it will only add weight to these criticisms.
“But we can imagine another reality, one where the government chooses to put common sense protections in place to allow renters to enjoy the benefits of their new warmer homes and cheaper bills.
“This will show unequivocally that social justice and climate change policies can work side by side, directly benefitting the day to day lives of working people, while helping to lower emissions and protect our planet.”
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This article is taken from Landlord Today