Industry News


England’s leaky homes are a greater threat to climate than all of its cars


E


ngland’s homes producemore carbon emissions every year than is produced by all of the country’s cars, according to new


research fromthe NationalHousing Federation. The representative body forHAs is calling on the Government to put £3.8bn into the retrofit of social housing at the upcoming Spending Review. The research calculates for the first time that England’s 25m homes – which produce 58.5m


tonnes of C02 every year – emitting the equivalent of the average annual use of 28m cars. There are 27m million cars in use in England, emitting 56


million tonnes of C02 annually. The emissions fromhomes are so high due to a


combination of gas central heating and poor insulation,meaning heat easily leaks out of homes which then require evenmore gas to keep them warmenough. Thismeans the average family or household in England is currently producingmore


CO2 every year just by living in their home than they are by driving. The findings highlight why it is critical that


making the country’s homesmore energy efficient needs to be prioritised in order tomeet the government’s ambitious net zero by 2050 target, and ultimately lead the way in the deep cuts to carbon emissions urgently needed if we are to stabilize the rising temperatures, extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding seen around the world this year. However,many people are unaware of the issue


or unable tomake their homes greener. Recent research, for example, found that three in every five (60 per cent) homeowners do not think their home


energy use hasmuch of an impact on carbon emissions.More than one in four homeowners (28 per cent) have no plans tomake “eco-upgrades” to their homes in the next ten years.


INVEST IN RETROFITTING The NHF is calling on the Government to put £3.8bn into the retrofit of social housing at the upcoming Spending Review. Social housing landlords canmake their homes energy efficient at scale and have the necessary systems set up and ready to act. Unlike private landlords and homeowners they can retrofit whole streets, estates and even neighborhoods simultaneously. In 2019 alonemore than 100,000 social homes


had their energy efficiency improved, but Government funding would enable housing associations to go further, getting the two million homes they own andmanage to EPC C by 2030 and setting them up to go on to be fully carbon neutral. Achieving carbon neutrality for these homes would be the equivalent of taking 1.8m cars off the road indefinitely – the equivalent of all of the cars in Manchester and Birminghamcombined. KateHenderson, Chief Executive of the National


Housing Federation, said: “For too long the impact of housing on climate change has been overlooked. While we’ve becomemore conscious of the vehicles we drive, the amount we recycle and what we eat, these shocking new figuresmust now force us to recognise the enormous role our draughty homes are having. If we don’t startmaking serious progress on decarbonising and retrofitting our homes, we


won’t achieve the government’s target of net-zero by 2050. “It’s critical that we act now.Housing associations


are already planning to invest billions in retrofitting their homes, but we can’t do it alone.With support fromthe Government there’s a clear opportunity here to retrofitmillions of homes at scale and pace. That’s why it’s vital the Government delivers on its pledge of £3.8bn for retrofitting social homes in the Spending Review this year.We can then work together to help the country lead the way in climate friendly, net-zero housing.”


Landlords are failing tenants with cheap, dated and unhygienic furnishings


An expert in build-to-rent furnishing solutions, has found themajority of UK tenantsmoving into furnished rentals are living with furniture that is unfit for purpose, often being cheap and of poor quality. Formany tenants, a furnished rental property is


the preferable option as it saves a great deal of hassle onmoving day, while others simply do not own much furniture in the first place. Previous research byManor Interiors found that 66 per cent of tenants would paymore to


secure a well-furnished rental property, although the quality of the furniture was also an important factor. However, it seems landlords are letting


themselves down in this respect, asManor Interiors has now revealed that 59 per cent of tenants found the items in their furnished rental property simply were not fit for purpose. When asked what the predominant reason


was, 26 per cent stated that the furniture supplied was cheap and of poor quality. Old and dated furniture (at 23 per cent) was the next biggest issue with furnished rental home furniture, while the third biggest gripe for tenants (20 per cent) was the fact that the furniture was dirty or unhygienic - a worrying revelation in COVID times. Some found that the furniture in their rental


property was in disrepair, while comfort was also an issue for others. Thankfully, furniture that was dangerous and could cause injury was the leastmost prominent issue, although some tenants still found it to be the case, which is unacceptable.


12 | HMMOctober/November 2021 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


CEO ofManor Interiors, FarhanMalik,


commented: “Themodern-day tenant craves convenience and a furnished property will provide great appeal to themajority, who simply don’t want the arduous task ofmoving heavy furniture items in and out of rental properties every time theymove. “However, in this day and age and with


rents as high as they are, they also expect a certain level of quality and so it’s simply not enough to fill a rental property with inadequate items of furniture. Unfortunately formost tenants, they won’t notice these furniture shortfalls until they havemoved in and this can see them left with items that simply aren’t fit for purpose for the duration of their tenancy. “It doesn’tmatter if you own one buy-to-let, an


extensive portfolio, or you’re looking to furnish a full build-to-rent development, quality, bespoke furniture can be secured for less than you might think. Any furnishing company worth their salt will be able to furnish or provide replacement items, within 24 to 48 hours and so there’s no excuse to leave a tenant high and dry.”


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