Environmental improvements 'add value to a landlord's property'

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More and more people are looking to live in properties which have been built in an environmentally-friendly way, an industry expert has said.

Robin Hood-Leeder, director of membership services at the Federation of Master Builders, said that the introduction of home information packs (Hips) meant that more focus was now on how to improve the energy efficiency of rented and other properties.

"There's been a bit of a shift in public attitude," he pointed out. "People are starting to do things with timber and straw, which would have been considered a few years ago as being really way out. It's very rational, serious people who are making rational decisions."

Mr Hood-Leeder added that landlords who invested in environmental improvements to their properties could also find their values increased dramatically.

"It can add value and insulation, as you should do the basics before you do the other stuff: adding double glazing and improving the heating system you have, perhaps with a new boiler, can produce a measurable benefit," he explained.

He added that it was good to be able to tell prospective tenants that energy bills would be lower as a result of the work.

However, Richard Gard, public affairs officer at the NLA, recently said that there was not yet tenant demand for truly environmentally-sound properties.

The situation was slowly changing though, he concluded.

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