Concerns have been raised in the House of Commons about the impact of new EPC regulations on landlords.

Speaking in the House of Commons earlier this week, Greg Smith, the Conservative MP for Mid Buckinghamshire, asked if steps were being taken to support landlords in upgrading housing stock to reach an EPC rating of C.

The Government has confirmed its plan to force all private landlords to get their rental properties up to an EPC C - from the current EPC E - by 2030.

The Government estimates that landlords will have to pay between £6,100 and £6,800 to comply with the proposals.

Cost of new requirements

The Conservative MP added that private landlords in his constituency were considering selling up because they couldn’t afford to meet the cost of the new requirements.

Rushanara Ali, the parliamentary under-secretary at the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, responded to Smith's question, saying the Government was committed to talking fuel poverty and delivering warmer, cheap homes for tenants.

She added: “We are currently consulting on increasing minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector and continuing to support landlords to meet the new standards through consultation.”

However, Greg Smith went on to respond: “I understand the answer that the minister just gave, but when individual private landlords with just one or two properties are coming to my surgeries to say they will simply sell up and remove those properties from the private rented sector because they cannot afford to bring properties up to EPC C…does the Minister agree that if the Government are to bring in new regulations, it is equally incumbent on them to help provide funding?"

Ali responded that raising standards in the private rented sector could lift up to 550,000 people out of fuel poverty.