As a landlord, it’s mostly about finding decent tenants who will look after your property and pay the rent on time. For your tenants, however, your property is their home and if they’re keen to go green (er), then offering them the chance to do this simply by renting your place can put you ahead of the competition.
Wise landlords realise that it’s the under-35s who are not only the greenest generation, but they’re also Generation Rent. You’re more likely to be at the top of a tenant’s list if you appeal to their eco-conscious side, so here’s how you can set out your eco-stall to attract the right tenants.
Increase your energy efficiency
An easy way to lower your carbon footprint is to upgrade your boiler to a new energy-efficient model. Your local authority might still run grants to help with these costs, so do ask.
Make sure you don’t include energy bills in the rent, as tenants are more likely to be careful with their usage if they’re paying for it directly. You can control the provider, though, so look for a green one.
Get rid of the gas
If your property is on the smaller side, then an electric boiler is actually more eco-friendly as it’ll lose almost no energy during its operation.
If your property is larger, then it may be time to install those solar panels and that air or ground source heat pump you’ve been thinking about for ages.
Improve your windows
You really should install double glazing throughout the property and, if you’re in a colder part of the country, triple glaze some or all of your windows. A lot of heat loss occurs through your windows and the sight of a rattly old single-glazed bedroom window will deter lots of prospective tenants.
Lose the draughts
It’s not just windows that add a chill factor to a building. Gaps around doors and floors also let warm air out, so find them and use some silicone caulking to block them off.
Swap out older bulbs for LEDs
LED lights use less than 10% of the energy that incandescent bulbs get through and they also last for years. Installing smart lighting is a good idea too, as your tenants can dim the bulbs when necessary to save energy. Motion-sensing LEDs that turn off after a period of inactivity can also reduce the energy consumption even further.
Install low-flow taps
Low-flow showers and taps don’t offer pitiful trickles any more, they’ve been engineered to deliver a smaller amount of water with a decent amount of pressure, so you tenants can enjoy a good wake-up shower without wastage.
Review your insulation
You can lose up to 25% of your heat through a roof, so make sure yours is well-insulated. If your loft has no insulation, or if it has less than 150mm, then bring it up to 270mm, which is the recommended thickness.
It’s also worth approaching your local authority to see if it can help with the costs of wall and loft insulation. The government needs to meet its climate change targets and good insulation in UK properties is one way to help.
Be ahead of the curve
Your tenants don’t have much say in the eco measures they can install or implement in your property, so do the talking – and the waking – for them. Install a charging point for an electric car, for example, or give them a recycling bin and food composter so they’re not contributing so much to landfill.
