ENERGY


Green Deal will highlight inefficient properties


The Coalition’s recently announced Green Homes Revolution, the Green Deal, will be welcomed by landlords and their tenants as Chris Huhne, the Energy Secretary, has said there will be no upfront costs to landlords. However, as with all government legislation, the devil is in the detail. The first Green Deals are not


expected for at least two years and meanwhile, landlords should be aware of problems associated with inefficient properties. Let Insurance Services reports that already there are examples of tenants withholding rent because of higher than expected heating bills, condensation problems, which are often mistaken for damp, and even because a landlord has failed to correctly produce an Energy


Performance Certificate, EPC, as required by law. Michael Portman, MD of LIS, “Challenging a tenant in court for withholding rent for alleged energy inefficiency reasons could be expensive. Landlords should not skimp on repairs, energy saving measures or EPCs. Now is the time to take stock of the energy efficiency performance of rental property while the market is buoyant.” The legislation to establish


the Green Deal is due to be introduced in Parliament next month. It is designed to make energy efficiency available to all, whether they own or rent a property and allow for any tenant asking for reasonable energy efficiency improvements to be entitled to them after 2015. It will also allow local authorities to insist


‘Now is the time to take stock of energy efficiency in rented property.’


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that landlords improve the worst performing homes. Download the Green Deal at www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/ cms/what_we_do/consumers/ green_deal/green_deal.aspx


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PROPERTYdrum DECEMBER 2010 49


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