Working-age renters, low-income families and North East households are bearing the brunt of England’s substandard housing — but landlords say they’re being unfairly scapegoated while government support for energy efficiency upgrades remains patchy, inaccessible and underfunded. New analysis of the English Housing Survey shows that those least able to afford home improvements are paying the highest price for living in outdated, inefficient properties — often through no fault of their own.
Households in the North East, for example, face a staggering £12,200 median cost to bring a home up to decent standard — five times more than in Yorkshire and the Humber (£2,490). And across the country, Britain’s poorest 3.5 million households are collectively spending £2.8 billion more each year on energy bills simply because their homes are harder to heat.
But while media headlines frequently target landlords, the reality on the ground is more complex — and arguably more unjust. Landlords trying to meet EPC targets and upgrade their properties say they are being squeezed between rising costs and confusing, often inaccessible funding options, with many warning that without proper incentives, they’ll be forced to exit the sector entirely.
Low-income tenants hit hardest
The data paints a grim picture for tenants: renters in their 30s and early 40s are twice as likely to live in damp conditions compared to pensioners. 6.7% of adults aged 30–44 report living with damp, compared to just 3.3% of over-65s.
Meanwhile, non-decent homes rack up higher energy bills across the board. According to Table 4.3 of the report, residents in poor-quality homes pay £2,177 a year on average for energy, while those in decent homes spend just £1,576 — a difference of £600+ annually, which hits lower-income households the hardest.
However, landlords with older housing stock argue that the playing field is far from level. Retrofitting a Victorian terrace or pre-war semi is vastly more expensive than modern upgrades, and support schemes like the Green Homes Grant were scrapped just months after launch. Even the most willing landlords are left guessing.
“We want to upgrade our homes — but we need clear direction, workable funding, and policies that support rather than penalise us,” said one private landlord in Newcastle. “Right now, the pressure is on us to deliver what government won’t fund.”
Experts say retrofit is the solution
Anna Moore, founder of retrofit consultancy Domna, commented: “The latest English Housing Survey reveals a national failure — and one that should provoke genuine outrage. Measured by age, income and location, there are staggering inequalities in the cost to fix the UK’s leaky and draughty homes.”
She added: “Homes are too cold in winter and too hot in summer — this is making people ill, wrecking children’s life chances, and putting huge pressure on the NHS. And yet the funding streams to fix this are fragmented, inaccessible, or missing entirely.”
Moore believes the tools exist — from insulation materials to air source heat pumps — but the UK lacks a joined-up retrofit policy that offers certainty to private investors and landlords alike.
“What we need is joined-up policy: proper incentives, accessible funding, and regulatory certainty to unlock the capital that’s already sitting on the sidelines.”
System failure risks deepening housing inequalities
The report makes it clear: Britain’s cold and inefficient housing stock isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s an economic, health and social crisis that continues to punish the poorest households. But for landlords, who often take the heat for systemic failure, the real frustration lies in the absence of coherent policy and support.
Instead of vilifying those providing homes, campaigners and landlords alike are calling for pragmatic, long-term investment to retrofit Britain’s homes. As Moore puts it:
“Delivering decent, warm homes isn’t radical… The tools are there — the question is why we aren’t putting the right incentives in place to finish the job.”
The choice facing policymakers is simple: continue the blame game or deliver the funding and clarity landlords need to do their part. Without urgent action, it’s tenants — and ultimately the taxpayer — who will keep footing the bill.
