Whether it’s your first time renting or you’ve been renting your entire adult life, we can provide free advice and help to make your rented accommodation more energy efficient. You do not need to own property to be eligible for energy grants.
When looking for a new rental home, you can search an online database of EPCs to find out the current energy efficiency rating of properties, the likely energy bills and measures recommended to reduce the heating costs. The EPC advice guide provides more information about finding and interpreting an EPC. Landlords are required to have an up-to-date EPC before they can let the property. The property must meet minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES), which is currently an E rating.
When viewing a property, you may like to ask certain questions of the landlord or letting agent to ensure that the property is safe and to find out what sort of heating system it has, for example. The home energy rental checklist has a list of questions you may like to ask.
Basic safety measures in rented properties are covered by legislation. The government has written a guide for both tenants and landlords detailing their rights and responsibilities.
Landlords are responsible for providing:
Once you have moved into a rented property, you may be able to reduce your energy bills. We can help tenants access:
If you notice damp patches or mould spots in your property, there may be a water leak, but the issue is more commonly caused by condensation. Our condensation and mould advice guides provide information about the causes of mould and the ways to prevent it from occurring.
Call us for more free, impartial advice and information. For more specific housing advice, including free legal advice and making a complaint, Shelter and Citizens Advice are great resources. If you are having trouble resolving an issue, you might also want to speak to your local council private sector housing team.
It’s a good idea to check with your landlord before making any changes, as your agreement may prevent a tenant from, for example, switching energy suppliers if bills are included in the rent or from drilling holes to install certain draught-proofing measures.