Private Rented Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards - The tenant's request process
The process is as follows:-
- A tenant will be able to request consent to install energy efficiency measures at a property as long as - (i) the measure is one of the energy efficiency measures listed in the Schedule to the Green Deal (Qualifying Energy Improvements) Order 2012, or is a measure to be installed in order to connect to the gas network; and (ii) the tenant has a way of funding the measure at no cost to the landlord (e.g. by using government grants or incentives, ECO, other grant funding from third parties or local authorities, or paying for the measures themselves).
- An EPC, surveyors report or Green Deal Advice Report (GDAR) is not required under these regulations, but may be required should the tenant wish to make use of Government funding, or ECO.
- Where a tenant does not provide an EPC, surveyors report or GDAR as part of the tenant request, the landlord would have grounds for refusing consent if they had advice(e.g. from a surveyor's report, or from a GDAR) that the measure was not suitable for the property.
- For a request to be valid, the tenant must specify and provide details of the energy efficiency measure(s) they wish to install, and provide written evidence to the landlord demonstrating that the package is fully funded, through ECO, another grant or tenant funding. The tenant must provide evidence of quotes for the improvements installer who meets relevant installer standards.
- Landlords are able to propose a counter offer where the energy efficiency improvements would deliver the same, or substantially the same, savings on the energy bills as was specified in the tenant's request. In addition, the energy efficiency improvements specified in the counter proposal must not result in an initial, or a continuing, cost to the tenant which exceeds the cost of all the relevant energy efficiency improvements specified in the request.