£2bn home insulation scheme for BTL landlords

The new £2bn grant scheme in England for projects such as insulation, unveiled yesterday by the chancellor Rishi Sunak as part of a wider £3bn plan to cut emissions, initially did not appear to include homes in the private rented sector. Hundreds of thousands of homeowners will receive vouchers of up to £5,000 for energy-saving home improvements, with the poorest getting up to £10,000, but Labour cast doubt on whether buy-to-let landlords would qualify for the Green Homes Grant.

Mary-Anne Bowring, creator of automated letting platform, PlanetRent, pointed out that the UK’s housing stock is some of the oldest in Europe. She said: “This is not just bad for the environment but bad for our health too, with too many properties suffering from problems with damp and cold. “It is important the government's voucher scheme covers renters, especially as homes in the private rented sector tend to be older.”