A council in the north of England has identified 166 private rental properties within the district that do not comply with new energy efficiency standards.
Mansfield council has been contacting all the landlords not meeting the new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards; the council has been awarded £90,000 by the government to help enforce the new law.
Since April last year all rental property must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) at level A to E. Any that are ranked F or G have to make energy efficiency improvements to their properties, unless exempt. If they do not, they could be taken to court and fined up to £5,000.
Councillor Marion Bradshaw says: "Although we have identified 166 private properties that are being rented out in breach of the new regulations, we suspect the actual number is much higher and we encourage tenants to contact us if they feel their home does not meet the new standards.
"We prefer to work with landlords to improve standards rather than wave a big stick at them. However, enforcement action is an option if landlords choose not to engage with the project."
Mansfield council is among 59 local authorities to be awarded funding by the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy to enforce the new law. It has enabled the council to take on two enforcement officers, along with administration support, to target landlords who are renting properties that do not meet the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards. The project will run until the end of March 2022.
Action to enforce the new law is being supported by the Midlands Energy Hub, a BEIS-funded agency that works with local authorities to help deliver the government's Net Zero Strategy.
Michael Gallagher, head of the hub, says: “Through improving the quality of housing stock, the whole project looks to target over 95,000 of the worst-performing private rented homes with the ultimate aim of tackling fuel poverty and reducing carbon emissions produced by the domestic housing sector.”
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