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For rental tenants

Improving the energy efficiency of your home as a rental tenant in Oxfordshire

If you’re a tenant in a private rental property in Oxfordshire and you think the energy efficiency of your home could be improved, there are a few things you can do:

Use our communications pack to encourage your landlord to contact us

If you feel your property requires energy efficiency improvements, contact your landlord and encourage them to look at our Cosy Homes Oxfordshire service. We’ve put together a pack for tenants hoping to engage with their landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their home – decreasing energy bills and carbon emissions. The pack contains:

  • An email template for you to send to your landlord and/or letting agent
  • A digital postcard containing information about how Cosy Homes Oxfordshire can support landlords with energy efficiency work
  • Image cards which you can use on social media – tag your landlord/letting agent (and us! @cosyhomesoxon) and use #ToMyLandlord.

We also have a webpage dedicated to supporting landlords which you can direct your landlord directly to.

If they refuse to act, you may need to refer them to your local authority.

Understand your landlord’s energy efficiency requirements

Landlords in the UK have been required by law since 2018 to meet a Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard of at least an EPC band E for their properties before renting to a new tenant.  Since 1st April 2020 this requirement also came into force for the renewal of existing tenancies. Understanding these requirements and areas where your property may be lacking will help you to communicate the issue(s) to your landlord.

You can find your EPC rating through the EPC register.

You may quality for free support and grant funding

If you think you may be vulnerable, refer yourself to the Better Housing Better Health (BHBH) team – they can provide vulnerable residents in Oxfordshire with advice and grants to improve energy efficiency in the home, lowering bills and improving health.

‘Vulnerable’ includes tenants who are receiving income-related benefits, have a low overall household income, or a resident with vulnerability to the cold (including suffering from a long-term health condition, being in receipt of a non means-tested benefit, or living in a property that has a low energy performance).

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