Committee on Fuel Poverty calls for ringfenced cash for landlords

An independent advisory body has called on the Government to prioritise landlords by targeting Warm Homes Funding to support the private rented sector.

The Committee on Fuel Poverty (CFP) made the statement in its response to a call for evidence on the Warm Homes Fund – a  £5bn funding package drawn up to speed up energy efficiency upgrades and encourage private investment in retrofit projects.

This echoes our own response to the consultation, in which we called for a comprehensive package of financial and practical support to help landlords meet EPC C or above by the 2030 deadline.

Committee on Fuel Poverty calls

In its response, the CFP, which monitors the Government's progress in tackling fuel poverty, advises on the effectiveness of related policies, and supports efforts to make homes more affordable to heat, said landlords on lower incomes should be targeted first.

It said: “The Warm Homes Fund could have an important role to play in the private rented sector, which is a key focus for the Committee,” continuing: “If it is targeted in the right way, then the Fund could support landlords in achieving SRS [Social Rented Sector] and PRS Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards.

“However, it will be difficult to get the required level of traction and momentum in a notoriously fragmented and diverse space.

“The Fund will have to ensure that the right level of resource is allocated to make it properly focused, well targeted and made accessible to the right landlord groups if it is to have a meaningful end state impact for fuel poor tenants.

“Targeting lower income landlords will enable retrofit work to be completed that may not otherwise have been possible. Equally there needs to be a clear framework of governance and assurance to ensure resources are well spent with quality outcomes.”

The committee, which is sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), also calls for the fund to: “Consider allocating resource to facilitate effective and proactive private landlord engagement and the potential development of targeted, bespoke incentives in this area.”

What does the NRLA want?

We have welcomed the support of the Committee, and issued our own wish list to Government, recommending the fund: 

• Encourages lenders to develop products created specifically for properties with lower EPC ratings, helping direct support to homes that require the most significant improvements. 
• Enables finance models that combine private investment with grants and tax incentives, ensuring landlords can access support from multiple sources. 
• Recognises the diversity of the PRS, including the different needs of small and large landlords and the unique challenges faced by leaseholder landlords in multi-occupancy buildings. 

We stressed that without a tailored approach, there is a risk that support will fail to reach many of the properties that need upgrading, which could have a devastating impact on the supply of homes to let, should significant numbers fail to meet EPC C by 2030.

More information

To read more about our campaigns work on proposed new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) click here.

To read more about our response to the MEES consultation click here.