MORE than two in five private renters in England and Wales had to ration gas and electricity to afford their energy bills last winter, Citizens Advice has revealed.

A third of private renters — 3.5 million people — struggled to heat their home to a comfortable temperature, a survey for the charity found.

Many were forced to take drastic measures such as skipping hot meals, wearing gloves indoors and confining heating to a single room.

Heat leaking from shoddy homes was “burning a hole in renters’ pockets: something they have no power to fix,” Citizens Advice said. 

Official figures show 57 per cent of renters live in properties with an energy-efficiency rating below EPC C. 

Those in homes with the current minimum E rating spent an extra £317 on energy last winter compared with what they would have paid if their homes were upgraded.

Citizens Advice is urging the government to deliver on promised rules requiring landlords to raise homes to EPC C by 2030. 
Nearly a third of renters said they avoided asking for repairs or renovations out of fear of rent hikes or landlord retaliation, however. 

Of those who did, 13 per cent faced rent rises or similar measures while 7 per cent were refused outright.

Emily Wise of Citizens Advice (north-east Lancashire) said: “Leaky, cold and damp housing is a huge problem in our local area.

“Too often, renters [are spending] disproportionately on gas and electricity in an attempt to achieve basic levels of comfort, [while] having to regularly choose between eating and heating their homes.”

End Fuel Poverty Coalition co-ordinator Simon Francis said the government “cannot continue to delay action,” adding: “It must urgently deliver on its promises to raise minimum standards in the rented sector and provide greater protections for private renters through the Renters Reform Bill.

“Alongside that, we need targeted financial help for households with their energy costs, a national programme of area-based insulation upgrades and reforms to electricity pricing to bring down bills.

“Without these reforms, tenants will remain trapped in cold, damp homes with devastating consequences for health, wellbeing and household finances.”

A government spokesperson claimed it is taking urgent action this winter to help six million more households via its warm homes discount.