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Green Homes Grant recommendations accepted by Government
This article is an external press release originally published on the Landlord News website, which has now been migrated to the Just Landlords blog.
Private landlords have welcomed the news that recommendations about how the new Green Homes Grant scheme should work have been accepted by the Government.
It was in the Chancellor’s Summer Statement that this scheme was announced. The Government will be contributing at least two-thirds of the cost for improvement work to homeowners and landlords. This improvement work is to make their properties more energy efficient.
There is a cap of up to £5,000 that will apply per household. This will then increase to £10,000 for low income households in the owner-occupied sector.
The detailed plans published adopt the recommendations made by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) including that:
- Tradespeople used for the scheme must be registered for TrustMark or Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditation.
- The range of measures covered by the scheme should be comprehensive. The Government’s plans say that energy efficiency works should include some element of insulation or low carbon heat installation to qualify for the subsidy which can then also include a range of other measures such as draught proofing, replacing windows or doors and installing heat controls.
The NRLA points out that the Government has previously indicated that residential rental properties should be achieving an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D or better by 2025. This should then be at a C or better by 2030. The scale currently ranges from A, as the highest rating, to G, as the lowest.
Ben Beadle, Chief Executive for the NRLA, has commented: “Today’s announcement is good news for landlords and tenants, and demonstrates what can be achieved when the Government works constructively with landlords.
“Energy efficient homes are clearly important to improving health, reducing household bills and meeting the Government’s ambitions around carbon reduction. We welcome the clarity around what measures will be included as part of the Green Homes Grant scheme and encourage landlords to make use of this important initiative when it opens.”
