No demand for energy efficient rental properties
Published: 09-Jul-2007
As tenants still do not care that much about how energy efficient a property is, landlords are not keen to improve the energy rating of their portfolio, an industry expert has suggested.
Malcolm Harrison, a spokesperson for the Association of Residential Lettings Agents (Arla), revealed that it was simply the case that a home which was highly energy efficient was unlikely to be more attractive to potential tenants.
"What landlords will do is make their properties competitive. Unless there's enormous demand from tenants … they're not going to be all that fussed," Mr Harrison explained.
"I think energy efficiency is going to be fairly low down on their list of priorities.
He added that tenants remained focused on a property's overall suitability, with things like price and location taking priority over its green credentials.
Furthermore, Mr Harrison said that he thought that Home Information Packs (Hips) would not have an impact on the situation for landlords. However, he added that new legislation could. He explained: "In October 2008 rental properties will have to have energy certificates."
