21/10/2022 - Council gets grant to promote energy efficiency in rented accommodation
Luton Council has been granted £100,000 as a result of participating in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) Domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) Compliance and Enforcement Competition.
The competition supports local authorities to raise awareness of the PRS Regulations to both landlords and tenants as well as building capacity to tackle the identification of non-compliant landlords. The funding can also be used to support local authorities to create processes to enforce the PRS Regulations.
By March 2023 the Private Sector Housing Team aims to identify non-compliant properties in the borough and engage with landlords to ensure their property is brought up to standard, improving the quality of private rented accommodation across the town.
The £6.3 million competition is funded by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and managed by the Midlands Net Zero Hub. The second round of the PRS MEES competition will see a further 26 local authorities receive funding to improve the energy efficiency standards of domestic properties in the private rented sector. This iteration builds on the success of the previous scheme, which saw 59 local authorities supported.
Councillor Tom Shaw, portfolio holder for housing, said: “ We are thrilled to be receiving this funding. It will enable the team to direct resources to the enforcement of this important piece of legislation. Many people in the town are currently living in poorly insulated, cold, damp homes. With the current high fuel costs, it is essential that landlords fulfil their duty to upgrade the energy efficiency of their property to the required standard. This will help residents keep warm and keep fuel bills lower. The council will issue financial penalties where necessary, to ensure landlords comply. This work will go towards the council’s ambition to make Luton a carbon neutral and climate resilient town by 2040.”
Michael Gallagher, Head of Midlands Net Zero Hub, said:
“Midlands Net Zero Hub is delighted to be supporting local authorities across England and Wales through the PRS Enforcement Competition, funded by BEIS. This competition will assist a further 26 local authorities to implement and enforce the requirements of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) Regulations.
“Through improving the quality of housing stock, the whole project looks to target over 95,000 of the worst-performing private rented homes with the ultimate aim of tackling fuel poverty and reducing carbon emissions produced by the domestic housing sector.”
If you're a landlord and need help to improve the EPC of your property and access available grants, please contact Domestic Energy Efficiency Manager Shabir Hussain: [email protected], Tel: 01582 546789, or visit www.luton.gov.uk/energy-advice.
For further information on the PRS MEES Compliance and Enforcement Competition, please visit the PRS MEES Competition page on the Midlands Net Zero Hub website.