As of 2018, properties that do not meet minimum energy rating requirements cannot be let out by landlords in England and Wales, and it will be illegal to have these homes on the market. As of April 1st, every newly-let property in the PRS must have at least a rating of E on an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to stay on the market.
On top of this, all existing tenancies will also have to meet the minimum requirement by the same date in 2020, so landlords are being urged to make sure they do all they can to move towards making their homes energy efficient as early as possible.
It has been reported that anyone who does not comply with these changes and continues to let out homes that are not meeting at least the minimum requirements will face a fine of up to £4,000.
However, one of the main concerns is that even though this new rule will affect thousands of landlords nationwide, the majority will not actually know that there has been a change in regulations.
Danielle Hughes, a solicitor at law firm Kirwans, said: "I have serious concerns that many landlords may be completely unaware that their properties could fall below the new minimum legal requirements for energy efficiency standards in England and Wales."
She added that while many homes will only need to undergo small changes in order to ensure they meet the new standards, there are some others that will require a lot of work to make sure they are compliant. This means that landlords should be checking their own homes as soon as possible to ensure they have the ability to carry out any potentially time consuming work as soon as possible.