Require basic insulation and energy standards for rental homes, and keep rents from jumping after repairs
Steps to make it happen
- Each rental home gets a score that shows how much heat escapes from it.
- People can see that score before they sign a lease to rent a home.
- Homes with the lowest scores cannot be rented out unless they are fixed by a set year.
- The score that homes must reach goes up a little every few years.
- Landlords can borrow money at low interest to fix windows and walls.
- Rules set a limit on how much rent can go up after the repairs.
- Homes where people who get sick easily from heat or cold live are fixed first.
- Homes where people can use air conditioning and heating without worrying about the bill become normal.
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The proposal in detail
This proposal covers every home that individuals, companies, or public bodies rent out to others. Each home gets a label that turns its energy performance into a score, using one shared yardstick based on insulation in the walls and roof, the windows, and how efficient the heating, cooling, and hot-water equipment is. The scoring changes with the climate: in cold regions it puts weight on keeping heat in, and in hot regions it puts weight on blocking sunlight, airflow, and efficient cooling. Scores are given by qualified assessors who have no ties to the landlord, and false labels are punished. A home that does not meet the minimum standard cannot be newly rented or have its lease renewed, and the duty to make repairs falls on the owner. Exceptions are allowed for historic buildings that cannot be altered, for homes that cannot be upgraded for technical reasons, and for cases where the cost per unit goes above a set limit. These exceptions are registered, and the reason and the alternative measures are made public. A rent increase because of the repairs is limited to a share of the utility savings that are expected. Evicting tenants under the excuse of construction is not allowed, and the cost of moving out temporarily during the work is paid by the owner or by public support. In neighborhoods without formal permits, penalties are not used, and the focus is on repairs paid for with public support.
BenefitsLighter utility bills and health burdens for people with low incomes
The biggest effect is a change in the lives of people who had no choice but to live in poorly insulated homes. Because less energy is needed to keep the same comfort, utility bills fall, and the risk of getting sick from putting up with cold or heat gets smaller. When fewer illnesses are caused by heating and cooling, medical spending goes down too. For society as a whole, buildings use less energy, which eases the strain at times when demand for electricity is high and reduces the need for new power plants and power lines. Switching to renewable energy is also easier when the amount of energy used is smaller. Much of the repair work, such as replacing windows and installing insulation, can be done by local craftspeople and small building firms, which creates jobs nearby. And if owners know in advance that standards will rise little by little, they can plan their investments, and the makers of building materials and equipment find it easier to develop new products. Another feature is that pairing the rent limit with the ban on eviction is designed so that the benefits of the repairs reach the tenants.
DrawbacksHeavy burden on small landlords, and fewer homes to rent
The strongest objection concerns the burden on owners and a drop in the number of rental homes. Most rental homes are not owned by big companies but by individuals with one or a few homes, rented out for things like income in old age. If they are asked to pay for repairs and the rent increase is also capped, some may not make a profit and may stop renting or sell. As a result, cheap rental homes could shrink in number and push rents up overall, and the very people the rule meant to protect could find it harder to find a home. There is also resentment at being told in detail how to use one's own property. The cost to government is not small either, including training assessors and carrying out inspections, and in a society with weak oversight, false labels and missed violations are more likely. In regions where neighborhoods without permits make up most of the housing, the system itself is hard to apply, which is another limit. It has also been pointed out that when utility bills fall, people may use more heating and cooling, so energy savings may not be as large as expected. It is also possible that a shortage of skilled workers slows the repairs while the deadline keeps getting closer.
Learn the background
The energy used for heating, cooling, and hot water in buildings makes up a large share of the world's energy use. More and more societies set energy standards for newly built homes, but homes that already stand stay in use for decades, so total use will not fall much unless old homes are improved. Rental housing is especially hard. Tenants cannot fix the walls and windows of a home they do not own, and owners who do not pay the utility bills have little reason to fix them, so the person who gains and the person who pays are not the same. As a result, people with lower incomes tend to live in poorly insulated homes and either pay high utility bills or put up with the cold and heat. A cold indoor space raises the risk of heart and blood vessel disease, and summer heat threatens the lives of older people and children. As heat waves increase, a home without usable air conditioning is also a health problem. Programs that only display performance exist in many places, but when renters have no room to choose, a label alone does not make homes better.
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This proposal was written in Japanese by AI (claude-opus-5-5, policy version 2026-10-15d) and translated by AI (claude-sonnet-5-5). Nobody has checked the facts. Read the original (日本語) How the AI writes