Landlords and letting agents need more information and financial help if the Boiler Upgrade Scheme is to succeed, according to Propertymark.

In its evidence to the Lords Built Environment Committee inquiry into the scheme, the group says 48% of Propertymark members were unaware of its existence and those who had heard about it felt there was too little funding available per house compared to the overall cost of retrofitting.

'Upfront costs are too high for many households, even with the help of the grant, making it impossible for low-income households to benefit from the scheme,'� says Timothy Douglas, head of policy and campaigns for Propertymark.

Criticism

Its comments follows the committee's criticism of the scheme for attracting a 'disappointingly low'� take-up of grants; 9,889 vouchers have been issued since May 2022 and 7,641 vouchers redeemed so far '� far lower than the government's 2028 target of 600,000 installations per year.

The committee also slammed inadequate promotion of the scheme and misleading messages from the government.

Douglas (pictured) says agents, landlords and homeowners need more information and financial support to cover heating upgrades and retrofitting costs, which are a significant barrier to improving energy efficiency.

'It's vital that the committee's recommendations to provide a wider range of feasible options through a consistent policy framework are now prioritised by the UK government and lead to better, targeted support being made available,'� he adds.

What is the boiler upgrade scheme?The Boiler Upgrade Scheme provides grants to cover part of the cost of replacing fossil fuel heating systems. Landlords can apply for �5,000 towards an air source heat pump, �6,000 towards a ground source heat pump, or �5,000 towards a biomass boiler. Properties need a current EPC to qualify, and can't be a new build. The installer will apply on a landlord's behalf on the Ofgem website and the value of the grant will then be taken off the installation bill.