Prince William has promised to upgrade the private rental properties he operates via the Duchy of Cornwall after reports over the weekend revealed one in seven of the homes are below the EPC minimum and dozens feature severe mould and damp.

The investigation, which was jointly conducted by Channel 4 Dispatches and The Sunday Times and Mirror newspapers, looked at the royal family as both commercial and residential private landlords to determine the portfolio’s value and income.

Prince William received £23.6 million from the Duchy of Cornwall last year, an estate he inherited from his father, while the King received £27.4 million via the Duchy of Lancaster. Between them the two estates contain some 5,410 properties including plots of land, commercial units and homes.

The investigation found that 50 of the Duch of Cornwall’s 600 rented homes were rated F or G including six with the lowest EPC source of one point out of 100.

During the Channel 4 programme, tenants told of cold, poorly insulated homes, often without central heating (main image), forcing them to rely on expensive solid fuels for warmth. One tenant said she had complained about her property’s poor state for two decades but no action had been taken, while another said there were holes in his roof and his property suffered significant damp and mould.

The Royal family received million via two sources – the Crown Estate, from which they will receive an income of £86m this year and the two Duchies which are privately owned.

Responsible

A Duchy of Cornwall spokesperson said: “We are a responsible landlord committed to continuous improvement of our properties.

“We work closely with our tenants to actively address the energy efficiency of properties across our portfolio wiliest minimising the impact on residents.

The spokesperson also said William was committed to "an expansive transformation" of the Duchy.

The Channrl 4 investigation followed an ITV programme last week that updated viewers on Prince Williams’ Homeward initiative that, as LandlordZONE reported earlier this year, is working with both private and social landlords in six cities across the UK including in Sheffield, where Prince William recently attended a launch event.

During the gathering landlords, the Homewards’ sponsor Homebase and the charity itself revealed plans to offer 33 three and four bedroom properties for families on the brink or experiencing homelessness in the city.

Pictures: Channel4/Wikipedia Commons