Though EDMs are typically symbolic and seldom debated in Parliament, Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy contends that the Renters’ Rights Bill falls short in protecting tenants from post-upgrade evictions or rent hikes.
Campaign activist group Generation Rent argues that many landlords especially those without mortgages can easily absorb the cost of EPC improvements.
Under Labour’s proposals all privately rented homes would be required to meet an EPC rating of C by 2030, with new tenancies complying by 2028.
Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy has tabled an Early Day Motion arguing that the Renters’ Rights Bill offers insufficient safeguards against rent hikes when landlords receive public funds for energy efficiency upgrades.
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer and Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn are among the MPs who have signed the motion.
The MPs claim that government grants for energy efficiency upgrades should be classified as contributions made by the tenant, not the landlord, to protect renters from rent increases.
Among the signatories are Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer and Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn, who support calls to treat government grants for upgrades as indirect tenant contributions. The motion contends this approach would prevent landlords from using publicly funded improvements as a pretext to raise rents.
The motion proposes that government-funded energy efficiency upgrades should be treated as tenant contributions, preventing landlords from using them to justify rent increases, it says: “The Renters’ Rights Bill is a positive first step in addressing the power imbalance between tenants and landlords, but does not offer sufficient protections for renters in the case of retrofitting. We are concerned that, without further protections, renters, particularly those on low incomes, will not enjoy the benefits of a warmer home and lower bills.
“We believe the government should protect renters from rent increases through classifying grants as an improvement contributed by the tenant, not the landlord, at the First-tier Tribunal rent assessment process and protect renters from eviction through introducing a protected period from eviction after a government grant is used to retrofit a privately rented property.”
While some MPs argue for stronger rent controls tied to energy upgrades, landlords continue to invest heavily in improving property standards. The average cost of raising an English rental home from below EPC grade C to compliant levels exceeds £7,000.
Yet according to estate agents the expected annual savings of £280 on energy bills mean most landlords face a payback period of more than 26 years.
Despite calls for stronger tenant protections, the government recently rejected a proposed amendment to the Renters’ Rights Bill that would have curbed rent increases when landlords receive public grants for efficiency improvements.
Justice Minister Sarah Sackman further confirmed in Parliament that landlords are legally permitted to factor the cost of EPC upgrades into rent levels—suggesting a tacit endorsement of rent hikes to offset improvement costs.
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