In September, the Prime Minister announced that the requirement for private landlords to upgrade their rental properties to achieve an EPC rating of C by 2028 would be scrapped.
Research by Savills notes that in 2022, 35% of properties in London do not have an EPC Rating of C or higher, meaning that many Londoners have homes which are not energy efficient and are vulnerable to increasing energy costs.
The London Assembly is therefore calling on the Mayor to join the Assembly’s calls for Government to reverse the scrapping of the policy, ensuring all properties are upgraded to at least an EPC of C or higher by 2028.
Leónie Cooper AM, who proposed the motion, said:
“Every Londoner deserves a safe and warm home to live in and should be protected from the soaring energy costs seen in the UK.
“It is outrageous that, in the face of growing climate chaos, the Prime Minister has delayed long-planned pledges including ensuring renters don’t have to live in houses with energy performance ratings of less than C. This will force greater costs onto renters.
“The Prime Minister should reverse this damaging U-turn immediately.”
The full text of the motion is:
This Assembly notes that every Londoner deserves a safe and warm home to live in. However, research by Savills notes that in 2022, 35% of properties in London do not have an EPC Rating of C or higher, meaning that many Londoners have homes which are not energy efficient and are vulnerable to the soaring energy costs we have experienced over the last two years.
This Assembly also notes that as part of his wider delaying and scrapping of Net Zero pledges, the Prime Minister announced in September 2023 that the requirement for private landlords to upgrade their rental properties to achieve an EPC rating of C by 2028, which was originally set to be introduced in 2025, would be scrapped.
The energy tech firm IPPO has predicted that the scrapping of the requirement will mean “More than 2.4 million privately rented homes in England will experience higher energy bills with renters facing £1.4 billion costs as a result.”
This Assembly notes that a survey of 1000 landlords by specialist lender Shawbrook, found that 80 per cent of those surveyed ‘had already prepared’ to make the upgrades to achieve a C rating. In addition, landlords to date have also spent millions on upgrading their properties in anticipation of the deadline, with the average amount spent by London landlords being £37,164.
This Assembly believes the requirement to meet EPC C or higher is a win-win-win as it:
- ensures Londoners pay less for energy;
- tackles the climate crisis and;
- creates jobs in the energy efficiency sector.
Therefore, this Assembly calls on the Mayor to join with this Assembly in lobbying the Government to reverse this damaging change, thus ensuring that all properties are upgraded to at least an EPC of C or higher by 2028.
Notes to editors
- Watch the full webcast.
- The motion was agreed 13 votes for and 7 votes against.
- Leónie Cooper AM, who proposed the motion, is available for interviews.
- As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For media enquiries, please contact Tony Smyth on 07510 488715. For out of hours media enquiries, call 020 7983 4000 and ask for the London Assembly duty press officer.