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Fewer landlords plan to upgrade EPC ratings after Sunak decision

A quarter (25%) of landlords will only upgrade the Energy Performance Certificate ratings of their properties if legislation requires it, Landbay’s landlord survey has found.

In October Prime Minister Rishi Sunak scrapped the proposal that all rental property must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of at least C by 2028.

While the move was a controversial one, it’s seen been welcomed by three-quarters of landlords (74%).

More than six out of ten landlords (62%) with lower rated property intend to upgrade to a C rating, down from 73% before the EPC minimum requirement was scrapped.

Rob Stanton, business development director at Landbay, said: “We applaud the sentiment around trying to improve the energy efficiency of buildings but we also need to be realistic. The UK has a vast amount of older housing that is difficult to retro-fit and will be expensive.

“Some landlords said they would be encouraged to update their property if there was more government help such as easy accessibility to grants. Over half of rental properties in the UK are D rated or lower so landlords now have some breathing space to plan without a looming deadline.”

The expense and difficulty of retro-fitting older properties is seen as the main barrier by landlords to upgrading property to meet the EPC C standard.

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