The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has warned that new Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) requirements for rental properties may fail due to an insufficient number of qualified assessors and retrofitting professionals.
Under regulations requiring all rental properties in England and Wales to achieve a minimum EPC rating of C by 1 October 2030, the NRLA has identified what it describes as a “retrofitting skills gap” that could prevent landlords from meeting the deadline.
Assessor shortage concerns
In its consultation response, the NRLA stated that the timeframe for implementing the new standards could create a bottleneck if assessors must undertake retraining whilst demand for assessments increases simultaneously.
“Given the relatively short timeframe for implementing the new standards, increased training requirements could create a bottleneck if assessors must undertake retraining while demand for assessments is rising,” the organisation said. “This could lead to a scenario where there is a shortage of available assessors to meet the increased demand for assessments.”
The association has called for government support in training assessors before the new standards take effect to mitigate potential supply chain constraints. The concerns add to ongoing challenges facing the rental sector, which has also faced scrutiny over costs and implementation of new rental regulations.
Industry response
Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the NRLA, said: “We recognise how crucial it is for the private rented sector to boost its energy efficiency. But the Government needs to be pragmatic when choosing the steps it wants to take to make this happen.”
He added: “If it doesn’t address the ‘retrofitting skills gap’ – the shortfall in those retrofitting professionals qualified to uphold EPC benchmarks – its changes to energy efficiency benchmarks are unlikely to succeed.”
The warning comes as landlords face mounting regulatory pressures, with new tenancy frameworks being introduced alongside energy efficiency requirements. The combination of compliance demands could impact the supply of rental properties if implementation challenges are not addressed, according to industry observers.
The government has yet to respond to the NRLA’s concerns about assessor availability and training capacity ahead of the 2030 deadline.
