Royal estates rent out homes below legal energy efficiency standards

An investigation by the Guardian into more than 700 residential properties across the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall and the Sandringham estate found that about one in five carry the lowest possible Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings, F or G.

Since 2020 it has been illegal in England and Wales to let a property rated below E unless the landlord holds a valid exemption. Most of the substandard royal properties have no registered exemption on file, and fewer than one in twelve of the worst-rated homes analysed had one recorded.

Old tenancies and vulnerable tenants

Many of the poorest-performing properties are farmhouses leased to tenant farmers; depending on the tenancy type, some fall outside the scope of the regulations. Other homes are exempt because the rules only apply to tenancies begun after October 2008 — older tenancies often house elderly or vulnerable residents, some without central heating and reliant on coal fires or costly electric heaters.

Guardian reporters visited several of the worst-affected properties and found black mould and draughty single-glazed windows. The campaign group Fuel Poverty Action described conditions in some homes as "Dickensian" and accused the estates of prioritising profit over tenants' health.

The duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall are exempt from most business taxes and have paid the king and his family more than £400m since 2018. The duchy of Lancaster, the only estate that publishes compliance figures, reported just 10 F- or G-rated properties, but the Guardian's own audit found nearly 40 such properties among more than 200 examined.

At Sandringham, 18 of nearly 170 properties with EPCs were rated F or G. A spokesperson said the estate was fully compliant with the regulations where applicable and continued to invest in upgrades. The duchy of Lancaster said it had spent more than £3m over the past year on residential repairs and improvements.