Royal estates rent out homes that fail to meet legal energy efficiency standards
Summary
More than 100 houses on the royal estates of King Charles and Prince William do not meet the UK’s legal energy efficiency rules for landlords. Many homes have poor energy ratings and are rented out without proper exemptions, despite rules that require upgrades or limits on renting inefficient properties.Key Facts
- Over 100 homes on the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall and the Sandringham estate have low Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings of F or G.
- EPCs measure how energy efficient a property is, with ratings from A (best) to G (worst).
- Since 2020, landlords cannot rent homes with EPC ratings below E unless they have an official exemption.
- Most of these royal properties lack recorded exemptions to allow renting despite poor ratings.
- Some farmhouses rented from the royal estates are exempt because of their tenancy type, and older leases also avoid the rules.
- Some homes are in poor condition, with problems like black mold, single-glazed windows, no central heating, and reliance on coal fires or electric heaters.
- The duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, which pay little business tax, have provided the royal family with over £400 million since 2018.
- Landlords must spend up to £3,500 to improve properties or prove that upgrades are not reasonable to avoid fines up to £5,000.
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