A new report into “greening” the private rental sector reveals that 81% of landlords believe that further improvements are required to make their property more environmentally friendly.

The study, by British Gas, found that landlords are concerned about the environment and think the UK government and public generally are taking too little action to address climate change (56%).

Only 30% of landlords report receiving requests from tenants for green technology. However, landlords were generally responsive to these requests, with the majority (61%) making an installation as a result.

The survey revealed that many landlords think it is their responsibility alone (31%) or it is a shared responsibility between the landlord and government (28%) to pay for environmental improvements.

However, there are mixed opinions on whether the tenant has any responsibility for organising and overseeing installation, with a third expecting the tenant to have a shared responsibility (33%), and over half believing that the tenant should not be involved at all (51%).

The report also reveals a lack of knowledge about the grants available, with over half (52%) of those surveyed stating that they do not know enough about their options. 

Gail Parker, director of low carbon homes at British Gas, said: ”This report shows that whilst landlords across the UK are willing to make changes so that their properties are more energy efficient for tenants, they lack the knowledge and financial support to do so.” 

She added: “It’s key that we work with the government and the industry to ensure they have the ability to make these changes easily and affordably. We are calling for more focus to be made on the issue to help make homes more energy efficient for everybody, not just people who own their own properties.”