Landlords' accounts of retrofit: a relational approach in the private rented sector in England

Climate change commitments and the current global energy and living cost crises require investment into energy efficiency in buildings. With one of the oldest housing stocks in Europe, the energy intensity of buildings in the United Kingdom remains high compared to other countries. The adoption of energy retrofit measures can support tackling several social, economic, and environmental objectives. Scarce uptake of these is particularly evident within the private rented sector, which presents additional hurdles compared to social and owner-occupied housing. We adopt an innovative theoretical and methodology approach at the intersection of new economic sociology and energy demand reduction literature to analyse the social relations of energy retrofitting in Brighton and Hove through interviews with landlords and experts in the field. A high percentage of private rented sector housing in poorly insulated and historical buildings, makes retrofitting in this area particularly challenging. Several strategies and policies have been implemented to decarbonise homes; yet have failed in framing the problem surrounding the adoption of retrofitting measures largely in economic terms. By contrast, our case study shows evidence of the ‘relational’ nature of a retrofitting decision-making process shaped by landlords' identities and networks of relations among and within retrofit actors; this could support tailoring more efficient policies. Place-related assets, institutional landscape, climate and built environment specificities are also critical. We are recommending more efficient strategies at the central level that allow for place specific policies; these should account for local features and relational approaches to overcome challenges to retrofit within the sector.