Landlords told the government that proposed energy efficiency standards for rented homes were “too ambitious” and would drive them out of the rental market ahead of Rishi Sunak’s rumoured backtrack on the plans.
Their comments were made in consultation responses on the introduction of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES), first proposed in 2020, which would require landlords to upgrade residential properties to a grade “C” energy efficiency standard by 2025 or 2028 depending on the type of tenancy.
Sunak is now expected to announce the scrapping of any requirement for landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their properties as part of a bonfire of net zero targets.
