New Green Deal must be fair to rural landlords, says CLA

The CLA today (4 November) broadly welcomed the Governments New Green Deal scheme to provide loans to pay for household energy efficiency measures.

The Association, which represents the interests of landowners in rural areas, said plans to help landlords install insulation in rental properties are welcome provided that landlords will, as promised, face no upfront costs.

CLA President William Worsley said: Local authorities already have powers to make landlords carry out costly works to improve their properties, often without regard to the age, character and location of the property.  This concerns the CLA as many rural landlords cannot afford to improve their properties due to the low rents they receive under tenancies that are regulated by the Rent Acts.

Rural residential landlords often own older, listed properties which are not easy to make energy efficient as they are built to specifications from another era. The New Green Deal scheme would not be appropriate for such heritage buildings and we are concerned that any externally-visible work may not be sensitive to the listed status.

Mr Worsley added: However, we look forward to hearing further details about the scheme as it has the potential to enable landlords to make a cost-free capital investment in their properties, while helping tenants financially and reducing the environmental impact of providing homes.

• To find out more about Energy Secretary, Chris Huhne’s announcement on the New Green Deal please visit: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/consumers/green_deal/green_deal.aspx
• The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has around 35,000 members.
• As a membership organisation, the CLA supports landowners by advising them on how best to protect and maximise their asset: the land. We are dedicated to supporting landowners and their businesses. Our success is measured by how effectively we do that. We have a team of experts in London and a regional structure able to give local support.
• We have been looking after the interests of our members, as well as promoting the positive aspects of land ownership, land management and rural business activities for the past 100 years. CLA members own or manage approximately half the rural land in England and Wales, and the resulting expertise puts us in a unique position to formulate policies and lobby effectively.
• For more information about the CLA, visit: www.cla.org.uk or follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/CLAtweets