Energy-efficient homes 'attractive to tenants'

Posted: 13 Oct 2008 14:17:57 GMT

Landlords will find it easier to interest tenants if their properties are energy efficient, it has been claimed.

According to the Energy Savings Trust (EST) - a not-for-profit organisation providing advice on how to reduce household carbon dioxide emissions - simple energy saving renovations which provide lower running costs will help to attract prospective tenants.

Recent research from the trust indicated that as many as eight in ten people would reconsider renting from a landlord whose property had a poor Energy Performance Certificate.

Nancy Baynes, a spokesperson for the EST, highlighted the importance of ensuring that rental properties as well as private ones are made as energy-efficient as possible.

"An energy-efficient home with lower running costs will be much more appealing to prospective tenants," she said.

"Private housing tenants could save up to £700 a year on energy bills if their landlords installed straightforward energy saving measures."

As well as increasing the allure of a property, green changes can also help to increase the rental value attached to it, the London Climate Change group claims - this in addition to the environmental benefits that greener properties deliver.

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