Energy costs high priority for tenants

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by Gill Montia

Following the 1st October deadline for Energy Performance Certificates as a legal requirement for landlords marketing or letting a property, government research has revealed that 79% of renters are worried about the cost of their household bills.

According to the latest figures, tenants pay an average £1,360 on gas and electricity bills and with both the number of prospective tenants and properties to let rising, landlords need to keep abreast of concerns over fuel bills.

The research shows that after location, household bills are now the most important factor in choosing a property to rent.

Twenty-two per cent of tenants questioned said that the level of household bills had an “extreme effect” on their decision-making, while 27% said they regretted not asking their landlord for information about household bills before signing the lease.

Furthermore, confidence in landlords’ attitudes to energy efficiency appears to be very low because 77% of renters questioned said they did not believe that their landlords were concerned about energy efficiency in their properties.