More than 100 homes on the inherited royal estates of King Charles and Prince William fail to meet the legal minimum energy standards for landlords, the Guardian can reveal. An analysis of a large sample of domestic lets on the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall and the Sandringham estate found that one in five have Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings of F or G. EPCs are documents that provide an energy efficiency score for properties, in relation to their running costs.
Introduced in England and Wales in 2007 as concern grew about carbon emissions, they help to estimate energy bills and environmental impact. The most energy-efficient properties are awarded an A rating and the worst are given a G. The revelations are likely to be embarrassing for Charles and William, both of whom have cultivated reputations as environmental advocates.
Since 2020, it has been illegal to rent out properties with EPC ratings below E, unless the landlord can demonstrate that it is exempt. In the majority of failing royal rentals, no formal exemption has been cited. However, in some cases, the royal estates appear to be using gaps in the regulations to continue letting properties out.
This includes the homes of dozens of farmers, who are living in poorly insulated and hard-to-heat farmhouses they lease from the two duchies. Some farmhouses are not subject to current regulations, depending on the type of tenancy in place. Other homes rented out by the royals are not covered by the rules, as they apply only to tenancies that began after October 2008.
These older tenancies often house elderly and vulnerable people with health conditions, with some living without central heating and reliant on unhealthy coal fires or expensive electric heaters. The Guardian has visited a number of the worst F and G-rated duchy properties, and found many were affected by black mould, with draughty single-glazed windows. The pressure group Fuel Poverty Action said the conditions in some properties were “Dickensian”.
It accused the royals of “putting profits above the health and welfare of their tenants”. It is not known how much money the king receives from his private Sandringham estate, which was bought by Queen Victoria in 1862 and is set over 8,000 hectares (19,000 acres) in Norfolk. However, the duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, sprawling property portfolios that date back to feudal times, are exempt from most business taxes, allowing them to maximise their profits.
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