'Duchy rentals fail to meet legal standard'

A NUMBER of rental properties owned by Prince William fail to meet the minimum legal energy efficiency standards for landlords, it has been revealed.

- NICK SOMMERLAD and MAXINE DENTON

An investigation by The Mirror and Channel 4's Dispatches found that as many as one in seven of William's inherited Duchy of Cornwall's residential rental properties have the lowest Energy Performance Certificate ratings of F or G. This has meant some of his tenants are at risk of fuel poverty, and are living in hard to heat homes that are riddled with damp and black mould.

It comes as the taxpayer is funding a £369m renovation of Buckingham Palace and Prince William launches his campaign against homelessness and for "everyone having a right to a safe and stable home".

One tenant said: "The slick PR will stick in the throat of many tenants. He should start by bringing the homes he already owns up to modern standards." The Duchy has more than 600 rental properties and over 15 months the investigation identified nearly 500 of them. It found 50 Duchy properties rated F and 20 rated G, including six properties with the lowest EPC score of one point out of 100.

A number of tenants gave comments on condition of anonymity, saying they are living in cold, poorly insulated homes, often without central heating and many relying on the most expensive solid fuels for heat.

It has been illegal since 2020 for landlords to rent out properties that are rated below an E under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards regulations without a valid exemption.