The Retrofitting Programme

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 2:16 pm on 12 January 2022.

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Photo of Jenny Rathbone Jenny Rathbone Labour 2:16, 12 January 2022

Thank you, Minister. I heard your earlier comments, and I just want to focus in my supplementary question on the role of the private sector, because the worst-insulated homes are in the private rental sector, which is also where tenants are having to pay higher rents. I was speaking to a constituent this weekend about the inability to keep their living room warm, even after eight or nine hours of having the heating on. Obviously the carbon emissions and the money involved are all going out of the window, particularly because the landlord in this particular case is not maintaining the building properly, and they're obviously making a killing from the rents they charge. I just want to look particularly at all those buildings that aren't compliant with the EPC E efficiency rating, because that is the minimum. I don't understand why there are still exemptions for anybody who is trying to rent when this is an absolute minimum requirement and we clearly need to ensure that the private rented sector plays its part. There has been improvement in Cardiff, but there are still over 5,000 homes that do not meet that minimum E rating for energy efficiency, which obviously has huge costs for individuals as well as for the environment. So, what can be done to get landlords to play their part in all of this?