Renters ‘facing £500 hike in energy bills after government u-turn’

The government’s decision to ditch plans to force landlords to improve the energy efficiency of rented homes will cost tenants over £500 a year more, new analysis has suggested.

More than 60% of private rented homes in England have an energy performance certificate rating below C. This means 3 million renters have to spend more to keep their homes warm.

The government's u-turn

Under plans put forward in 2021, landlords were to be given seven years to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. This would have resulted in warmer homes and lower bills for renters. But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has now backtracked on those commitments.

Labour – who carried out the analysis – claim the government are “condemning millions to soaring energy bills in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis”.

The scourge of unsafe and unfit housing

Angela Rayner, Labour’s Shadow Deputy Prime Minister, said:

“These regulations would save renters money and protect some of the most vulnerable in our society from the scourge of unsafe and unfit housing, but Rishi Sunak has abandoned them.”