31st
May 2017
A 30,000 strong association of rural landlords is asking the government make its legislation MEES, (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards) coming into force next year, to be given much more clarity and have changes made prior to its implementation.
The association is warning the government that it is fast running out of time to make 'crucial amendments' to the MEES.
From April 2018 any landlord or letting agent letting out a residential property with an Energy Performance Certificate rating of lower than E, will be breaking the law.
The Association, whose members own more than 40% of privately let properties throughout the rural areas, states that the MEES is unenforceable. The reason why this is so is because the legislation was drafted as if would be supported by the Green Deal, which the government 'binned' in 2015.
The organisation says that the government needs to address unanswered questions such as whether compliancy is required from owners of listed or conservation properties.
The deputy president of the association, Tim Breitmeyer, said “The industry has repeatedly called on the government to revise the MEES regulations and its failure to make any progress in two years since the Green Deal was scrapped is not good enough. With less than a year to go and the further delay of the General Election, time looks to be running out.”
Breitmeyer claims that approximately a third of properties will fall foul of the incoming legislation because they have been given lower EPC ratings than they should have done. The reason for this is solely down to the government's method of assessing the energy efficiency of properties that have the traditional solid wall buildings.
Breitmeyer continued: “Although the government has recently consulted on fixing these mistakes, we have received no assurances these will be rectified before the April 2018 deadline."
“We support the principles behind the MEES regulations but there are so many errors, delays and uncertainties that it is almost impossible to advise anyone on how to be proactive and ensure compliance.”
“Without the framework in place it is unjustifiable to ask landlords to act on the regulations when so much remains unclear,” he concludes.
The association has authored a report, 'The Retrofit-Up - How Government energy policy is failing traditionally built homes across the British countryside'.
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