Energy Efficiency in the Private Rental Sector
England
Homeowners in England may be able to benefit from the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Deal (LAD) Delivery Scheme. The LAD scheme aims to raise the energy efficiency of low income and low energy performance homes. The second phase of the scheme allocated funding to Local Energy Hubs, based in five areas across England.
For low-income households living off-gas grid in England, HUG funding could be available to provide energy efficiency upgrades and low-carbon heating. The £150 million of funding enables the installation of multiple measures to improve energy efficiencies and applications from local authorities opened in summer 2021.
Great Britain
Homeowners and landlords in Great Britain may be able to benefit financially from the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme. Built around tackling fuel poverty and helping to reduce carbon emissions, ECO sees medium and larger energy suppliers fund the installation of energy efficiency measures in British households. This includes rented accommodation.
The Society for Companion Animal Studies has commissioned the survey to investigate barriers the PRS has with renting properties to tenants with cats and/or dogs and if landlords are reluctant to take on such tenants.
The research will contribute to the growing debate over pets in the PRS and what the real reform would look like.
Renting with pets
Under the Tenant Fees Act, landlords and letting agents in England are no longer able to take a higher Security Deposit for tenants with pets. Requirements from lenders and leases on flats or freeholders often have terms that restrict allowing pets. Additionally, pets are not always suitable in certain properties, such as large dogs in small flats without gardens.
Propertymark is continuing to work with partners on the issue of renting with pets and has raised concerns about the practicalities with politicians, charities and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cats.
Propertymark Guidance
Propertymark has also recently produced guidance for letting agents and their landlords that can help maximise the benefits of renting with pets while taking appropriate action to minimise the risk of damage.
Properties to rent
The number of properties managed per letting agent branch increased from 196 in October to 212 in November. Although this is slightly lower than during October 2020 when the figure stood at 214.
Regionally, Scotland had the highest number of properties managed per letting agent branch with a figure of 304. However, the rental stock was the lowest in Wales with an average of 106 properties managed per branch.
Tenant numbers
The East Midlands had the highest number of new tenants registered per branch with an average of 134. Wales recorded the lowest number, where there was only an average of 26 new prospective tenants registered in November.
Rent prices
The number of tenants experiencing rent increases fell for a third month with 58 per cent of agents seeing landlords increasing rents compared to 68 per cent in October. This is the lowest rate increase since February, where rent increases stood at 49 per cent.
Tenants who successfully negotiated rent reductions increased from 0.8 per cent in October to 0.9 per cent in November. However, this is the lowest number recorded in the month of November since records began.
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