Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps with the Local Government Association to make an assessment of the effectiveness of enforcement activities to ensure (a) that lettings comply with the provision of an energy performance certificate, (b) compliance with minimum energy efficiency standards legislation in private rented sector housing and (c) compliance with annual Display Energy Certificate requirements in public sector occupied buildings of under 1,000 sq metres in size that are frequently visited by members of the public.

In response to a Call for Evidence in 2018, the Department, jointly with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, published an Energy Performance Certificates for Buildings Action Plan, which will investigate ways to improve compliance by working with other actors, such as mortgage lenders and lettings agents, in addition to enforcement bodies. The Action Plan is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/energy-performance-certificates-in-buildings-call-for-evidence.

My Department is commencing a series of stakeholder engagement sessions to explore the action that could be taken, including opportunities for better enforcement, which will build upon the enforcement pilots which have already been undertaken with local authorities to look at compliance and enforcement in the private rented sector. We expect to extend invitations to representatives of the local government sector, including the Local Government Association.