In our latest Green Homes Webinar series, Luke Loveridge was joined by:
- Robert Butler‑Ellis – Renewable Sales Manager at Eco Approach.
- Neil Cobbold – Commercial Director at Reapit.
- Chloe Timperley – Green Mortgage Campaign Lead at the Green Finance Institute.
The panel discussed what looming energy efficiency rules mean for landlords, lenders, brokers and agents. With tougher minimum standards coming, timelines are tight, and early movers can cut risk and create value.
The Scale of the Challenge
The new proposals extend minimum energy efficiency standards, bringing roughly 4 million additional homes into scope. Many landlords have never had to think seriously about EPCs or retrofit before and awareness is low.
At the same time, government is holding to a 2030 compliance deadline. This creates a narrow window of perhaps three years to upgrade many homes once rules are confirmed.
Analysis of around 52,000 agency‑managed PRS properties shows over half sit below EPC C.
A minority are at E, F or G. Where the cost of upgrades can be hard to justify on yield alone, without some form of financial support, many owners may sell rather than invest. Hundreds of thousands of PRS homes could be lost, with obvious implications for lenders’ books, local rental markets and tenants.
What This Means for Lenders, Brokers and Agents
For lenders, non‑compliant or stranded assets are both a credit risk and a net‑zero risk. Properties that cannot be let, or fall in value, weaken portfolios. It also creates opportunities to support landlords with the right finance, guidance and retrofit partners, rather than simply tightening criteria and stepping back.
Brokers are likely to see more complex cases and tighter lender rules around EPCs, exemptions and capital works. Their role shifts from simple sourcing to helping landlords navigate which products, exemptions and upgrade routes are realistic for their situation.
More landlords will seek retrofit advice and project management, alongside possible churn as owners exit and new entrants come in.
Retrofit: From Tick‑Box to Strategy
There are many measures available —from loft and wall insulation to smart heating controls, solar PV and heat pumps. Each property needs a tailored pathway. The right “bundle” balances three things: EPC points gained, capital cost/finance, and disruption to tenants and operations.
- Fabric improvements, like loft and cavity wall insulation, often offer fast payback and long lifespans, making them attractive first steps.
- Controls and LEDs are low‑disruption “last mile” measures that can tip a property over the line into EPC C.
- Renewables such as solar PV or heat pumps can deliver big EPC gains and visibly lower bills, but need careful design to avoid “gaming” the EPC rather than improving real‑world performance.
The panel warned that with the Home Energy Model replacing SAP, shortcuts and box‑ticking are likely to be punished later as ratings are recalibrated.
Financing the Transition: Green Mortgages and Beyond
Today’s products fall into two buckets: rewarding already efficient homes (rate discounts, cashback or enhanced borrowing for A–C properties), and supporting upgrades through “transition finance” such as additional borrowing, cashback for specified works, or rates that step down once improvements are verified.
There are dozens of options available, including some aimed at buy‑to‑let. Awareness among landlords remains low. The panel argued that matching finance to a credible retrofit plan—rather than just “finding some extra borrowing”—is critical if capital is to fund meaningful upgrades instead of bare‑minimum fixes.
Relationships and Education: From Landlords to Housing Providers
With layers of regulation (from electrical safety and MEES to proposed decent homes standards), the idea that part‑time landlords can remain fully compliant without expert support is fading.
The panel suggested thinking less in terms of “landlords” and more as “housing providers” with an ongoing duty to maintain and improve assets, budget for works and protect tenants from damp, mould and fuel poverty.
Better education sits at the heart of this shift. Many landlords still view retrofit purely as a cost to meet an arbitrary C rating. The webinar argued that positioned correctly—with clear data on bill savings, tenant demand, valuation uplift and access to finance—upgrades can instead be framed as investments that pay back over time. That is especially important in a world where new performance‑based metrics like the Home Energy Model may re‑rate today’s A/B homes downwards, raising the bar again.
Key Takeaways for Landlords and Their Partners
For landlords, the to‑do list is clear: understand your current EPC position, map properties against likely future rules, and start planning pathways now while there is still capacity in the supply chain.
For agents and brokers, there is an opportunity to profitably move clients through regulations, retrofit options and finance choices. Lenders should treat energy performance as a core risk factor and a lever to improve portfolio quality, rather than a bolt‑on.
The panel’s conclusion was that delay and uncertainty carry risks. Acting early—on assessment, education, finance and retrofit delivery—will help landlords when energy efficiency rules tighten.
