The Energy Bills Support Scheme will see households receive £400 off their energy bills. Divided into six instalments, the discounts will begin to be applied by energy supply firms from October.
Last week housing charity Shelter grabbed the headlines by claiming that, “Tenants whose energy bills are included in their rent or service charge cannot directly claim the energy discount. Instead, they will be at the mercy of their landlord passing on this much-needed support.”
Responding to concerns about the application of the Government’s Energy Bill Support Scheme in the private rented sector, Ben Beadle, Chief Executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, says:
“Payments from the Government’s Energy Bill Support Scheme are not due to begin until October. Given this, it is irresponsible scaremongering on the part of some to be making baseless suggestions that landlords will not do the right thing by their tenants.
“The support payments should help whoever is shouldering the costs of increased energy bills. That could be either a tenant or the landlord.
“Where rents include the cost of utilities, if they have been set to reflect recent and likely future energy price rises landlords should be passing the savings from the Government’s scheme onto their tenants.
“However, where all-inclusive rents do not reflect the higher costs of energy, or where rents have been frozen to support tenants, then it is the landlord who will be shouldering costs of higher energy bills. In cases such as this the system should recognise that it is the landlord that needs the support.”
Ben Beadle continued:
“One off pots of money like this cannot disguise the need for fundamental reform of the benefits system to support vulnerable tenants and landlords alike. This needs to include unfreezing housing benefit rates and giving tenants the choice, if they so wish, to have housing cost support paid directly to their landlord.”
SOURCE: Property Industry Eye | AUGUST 8, 2022 | EYE CORRESPONDENT
Estate Agents
Comments