The Green party has promised to introduce rent controls and force landlords to make energy efficient improvements.

At their conference in Brighton this weekend, co-leader Carla Denyer (main picture) told delegates its four target candidates to become MPs would hold the government to account and advocate for its Fairer, Greener Homes Guarantee.

She said too many private landlords in England were lining their pockets despite a quarter of privately rented homes not even meeting the most basic standards of decency.

Instead, tenants could insist that landlords apply for grants or low-interest government-backed loans, to be paid off via savings from reduced energy bills.

“Every home should be properly insulated and free from damp and mould,” explained Denyer. “No more battling to get things done and no more risk that you’ll get kicked out for insisting your home meets basic standards.”

Fuel bills

The Greens have vowed to invest £145 billion over a ten-year period to provide grants to retrofit all homes that need it, alongside government-backed property-linked finance to make up additional costs, and to increase the stock of social housing by 150,000 homes a year including bringing empty homes back into use.

Speaking to the BBC, co-leader Adrian Rasmsay (pictured) said: “These are measures we need to take to keep renters’ fuel bills down and homes warm but it also benefits landlords if they’re getting access to low-cost finance that they can use to improve the value of their homes for the future.”

Denyer added that to make sure the amount of rent tenants paid was fair, it would give councils the power to bring the cost of renting in line with local wages and ensure housing benefit was at the right level. “No more lying awake at night worrying your landlord’s going to price you out of your home.”

Pic credits: Green Party