Mortgage lenders and advisers are calling for the government to re-instate the EPC legislation terms that have been relaxed, according to a UK mortgage intermediary.

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From the company’s survey data shows that 49 per cent of mortgage lenders and 32 per cent of advisers are in favour of a government U-turn to reverse its EPC relaxation irrespective of which party is in power.

Since the government scrapped its plans to help entice landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties, the mortgage intermediary sent out a /poll to the UK’s largest mortgage lenders and advisers to  gauge their views on the sector which focussed on ‘green’ homes.

One of the questions was what would be the best action the mortgage industry needs to do to quicken the uptake of green mortgages. Nearly a third of lenders – 31 per cent – commented educating and increasing public awareness of energy efficient products; whilst  25 per cent of advisers said lenders must offer more incentives and competitive interest rates for green mortgages. 

Supporting government policies and incentives for green mortgages is extremely important to 29 per cent of lenders.

With the cost of living crisis 22 per cent of lenders believe a much wider bespoke choice of green mortgages should be introduced to suit different needs and budgets.

A spokesperson for the company, said: “With climate change continuing to be an issue we all must take seriously, everyone has a role to play to ensure UK homes are more energy efficient. At a policy and industry level, we have a responsibility to push the housing market to a more sustainable future – one that is as energy efficient as possible. The fact 82% of lenders believe that the best way to achieve energy efficient homes is via builders and lenders is a surprise. There should be cross industry collaboration and working with intermediaries who too can have a big role to play in the move towards a greener future.

“The UK has some of the oldest and least efficient homes in Europe, so the government scrapping plans to encourage landlords to improve their homes is not going to help solve the problem. However, we must note the concerns of landlords and look to work collaboratively, where the Government focuses on using the carrot instead of the stick to encourage green changes. For example, looking to refund Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) once a property has been retrofitted might be one way to incentivise green changes.