Draught-proofing a good investment for landlords?
Posted by Gary Winter
Landlords looking to improve their buy-to-let properties in order to better attract tenants may want to consider draught-proofing.
According to the National Home Improvement Council (NHIC), draught-proofing is one of the most cost-effective upgrades property owners can make as it considerably reduces energy costs without requiring a large upfront investment.
Landlords could find that this helps them to attract tenants without needing to spend vast sums on their properties, as well as adding value to their portfolios.
"One of the cheapest and largest payback factors is good draught-proofing," said Andrew Leech, executive director of the NHIC.
"If you can get a good draught-proofing system into your house to cut out all the gaps in your doors and window … then that can be one of the cheapest and most effective ways of improving the value of your house, or the cost of running the house. [It] also makes it more attractive for people coming in to look around."
Mr Leech explained that in the average semi-detached house, if all the gaps around doors and windows are combined, it can add up to the equivalent of nine bricks missing from the wall.
Meanwhile, draught-proofing and other measures to improve the energy efficiency of properties could become an increasingly attractive option for landlords once the government's proposed Green Deal comes into effect.
This will provide property owners with an interest-free loan to cover the upfront cost of improvements, which can then be repaid through the savings made to energy bills.
"People should be seriously considering keeping their houses in top condition, because we have got the Green Deal coming along," said Mr Leech.
"Hopefully, that will become official in a year's time, in the autumn of 2012. I think the Green Deal will lay down certain regulations that the average householder has to fit in with. The principle thing is saving energy."
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