9:03 AM, 18th March 2026, 4 months back 16 
< img width="768"height ="768"src ="https://www.property118.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ChatGPT-Image-Mar-17-2026-04_37_29-PM-768x768.png" alt="Occupant handing money to proprietor beside an EPC certificate revealing an F energy ranking in an improperly insulated home."/ > A renter group has advanced so-called” sound judgment proposals”that would allow tenants to reclaim lease if their property manager fails to fulfill EPC requirements.
Generation Rent’s Raising Standards, Not Rents report sets out a variety of policy recommendations to the federal government, declaring “property owner lobbyists” have regularly opposed conference energy-efficiency targets.
The news comes as the government has announced that all personal rented homes will need to fulfill EPC C requirements by 2030.
Common sense defenses in place for renters
Ben Twomey, president of Generation Rent, said: “Getting this policy right will be essential. Lots of powerful forces have criticised the push towards net zero in current years, declaring it will cost those who can least manage to pay, while proprietor lobbyists have long claimed that they will have no choice however to hike rents after retrofit work.
“Improving the energy effectiveness of private leased homes therefore sits at the crossway of social justice and environment modification. If the government picks to leave occupants vulnerable to abrupt, unaffordable lease boosts, it will only include weight to these criticisms.
“However we can envision another truth, one where the federal government selects to put common sense securities in place to enable occupants to enjoy the benefits of their brand-new warmer homes and more affordable costs.
“This will show unequivocally that social justice and environment change policies can work side by side, directly benefitting the everyday lives of working individuals, while helping to lower emissions and secure our planet.”
Lease payment order and eviction protection
One of Generation Rent’s propositions includes enabling occupants to claim a rent repayment order if their home doesn’t satisfy EPC C from 2030.
The group claims this would motivate tenants to “hold landlords to account” and decrease pressure on council enforcement teams.
Other proposals consist of raising awareness amongst occupants of the new minimum energy efficiency standards, consisting of enhancing awareness of circumstances where a tenant would benefit from challenging a rent boost due to the prospective discount that the Tribunal would apply if the home is of lower quality.
The group prompts the government to prevent property owners from pushing tenants into looking for exemptions. It declares the federal government “should release detailed guidance for both tenants and landlords, discussing their respective rights, obligations and obligations, and readily available recourse if issues emerge”.
Other policy suggestions consist of more financing for councils to implement the new energy-efficiency standard and presenting a safeguarded duration from eviction after a federal government grant or loan is utilized to fund retrofit work.
Significant and costly upgrades
However, Generation Lease has ignored the fact that, for numerous property managers, the expensive upgrades required will prove challenging, especially for older residential or commercial properties.
As formerly reported by Property118, industry specialists have cautioned that the EPC C targets are deeply concerning for proprietors, due to a lack of clear and long-lasting funding commitments.
Timothy Douglas, head of policy and projects at Propertymark, stated: “While the ambition of the Warm Homes Plan to enhance energy efficiency and tackle fuel hardship is acknowledged, the propositions as they stand are deeply concerning for proprietors and representatives across both the domestic and business sectors.
“In the private rented sector, proprietors are being asked to deliver, oftentimes, considerable and pricey upgrades to reach EPC C by 2030, yet this is being enforced without clear, long-lasting funding dedications, realistic shipment timescales, or adequate versatility for older, complex, and hard-to-treat homes.”