The Welsh Government’s approach so far has focused on social housing and low-income households, so views were sought on how to support landlords and private homeowners.
Develop a long-term policy framework and route map to 2050 for retrofitting private homes
A route map can provide confidence and trigger investment from property owners and financial institutions to retrofit homes. This map should be combined with a plan to ensure that the retrofit supply chain, including the skilled workforce, is sufficient in order for retrofit targets to be met.
Embark on a national communications campaign for tenants, landlords and owner-occupiers
Vital to meeting decarbonisation targets will be solving the challenge of convincing landlords and homeowners of the benefits of retrofit. The views of landlords and owner occupiers will play a significant role in the success of retrofitting, which will substantially impact the uptake of retrofit programmes, even if government grants exist to cover the cost of retrofitting.
Develop a grant programme that also allows homeowners to understand what their homes need to decarbonise
In order to avoid the one-size-fits-all approach, the Welsh Government must introduce a mechanism for landlords and owner-occupiers to understand building renovation plans for their properties. This should be combined with the introduction of sustained finance through grants and delivery programmes.
Wales faces unique challenges with house prices that are lower than the UK average and the oldest housing stock out of any UK nation. This will make it difficult for landlords and homeowners to afford sufficient decarbonisation measures on their homes.”
Given that the UK Government is looking to make an EPC C rating mandatory for all newly rented properties in England and Wales by 2025 and 2028 for existing tenancies, the Welsh Government will need to take decisive action to ensure the private housing sector in Wales can meet these targets. Without a long-term national strategy to support private landlords and homeowners to retrofit their properties, Wales will struggle to decarbonise the sector.
