The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) referred to a recent consultation put out by the government that said that, where possible, every private rented home should have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of at least C.
It has been suggested that this will be confirmed late next year, with a deadline of 2028 for new tenancies and 2030 for existing tenancies.
The NRLA said this would leave landlords just two years to make the two-and-a-half million private rented homes that do not currently meet this standard more sustainable.
The trade association said it supported the objectives, but the “timelines proposed are simply unrealistic”. It said this was primarily because of a “chronic shortage” of available tradespeople.
According to Kingfisher group, the owner of Screwfix, B&Q and Tradepoint, the shortfall in the number of skilled tradespeople in the UK is set to rise to 250,000 by 2030.
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The NRLA said ministers had not yet explained how the works would be funded or taken advice from the Committee on Fuel Poverty, which has recommended the introduction of a bespoke package to support this.
In response to the consultation, the trade association has said there needs to be a two-stage implementation plan.
It has proposed that landlords should meet the standards related to the fabric of a building, such as installing insulation, by 2030.
The NRLA also said that by 2036, landlords should have to meet secondary standards around installing smart meters and efficient heating systems.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the NRLA, said: “We want all private rented properties to be as energy efficient as possible. However, tenants are being sold a pup with timelines that are hopelessly unrealistic.
“The idea that millions of homes can be retrofitted in less than two years is detached from all reality, not least given the chronic shortage of tradespeople the sector needs to get the work done.
“Noble ambitions mean little without practical and realistic policy to match.”
