Identify the nature of the problem in your area
 

Identify where there are high concentrations of social or private tenants in your area. See the spatial data in the Climate Just mapping tool.
 

Identify the magnitude and likelihood of hazards associated with the changing climate.

• Consider how patterns of tenants compare with patterns of potential exposure to flooding and heatwaves using the Climate Just exposure and disadvantage maps. 

• Draw on existing risk assessments, adaptation tools such as the UKCP09 projections and the forthcoming UKCP18 (UKCP09’s update projections over UK land areas and sea-level rise, giving greater regional detail) as well as other local information (for example following the UKCIP Local Climate Impacts Profile, or LCLIP process).  See the Further Resources section for an example LCLIP for Greater Manchester.

• To ensure continuous learning, extreme weather events affecting the local area (location, timings, costs and self-assessed effectiveness of the response to them) should be systematically recorded.

 

Review the case studies in the Further Resources section showing how others have applied responses.

 

Identify specific actions relevant to helping to build resilience for tenants, by working with both landlords and tenants.

 

Raise awareness of hazards and possible responses among tenants and landlords

• Landlords need to be made aware of the potential for flooding and overheating. Over three-fifths (63%) of all private individual landlords have no relevant experience or qualifications. Only 6% of landlords are members of a relevant professional body or organisation.¹ Attitudes of landlords can be a particular problem to installing insulation and measures which can reduce over-heating in private rented properties. Talks at landlord forums and other proactive targeting where resources allow could be a means of raising awareness of the issue by a local authority.

• The tenants living in areas exposed to flooding and the landlords owning properties in such areas should be made aware of the Environment Agency's flooding resources, and the availability of Flood Warnings. Equivalent information is available for Scotland and Wales. Resources and advice are also available from the National Flood Forum. 

• Tenants may need to be targeted with specific information on what to do if their house gets flooded in order to improve their ability to prepare for, respond to and recover after flooding. See advice for tenants on what to do in an event of flooding.² See the example from the East Riding of Yorkshire showing the type of information produced by the council for private tenants. ³

 

Local authorities can oblige landlords to ensure that buildings comply with building regulations. In some areas, street-by-street surveys have been used to identify substandard accommodation and particular problems of inappropriate housing, such as the use of outbuildings.⁴

 

Landlords should be encouraged to insulate their properties. With regard to heat, whilst there is currently no upper limit of temperature for residential properties, a good argument for landlords to reduce potential overheating should be the fact that insulation has a benefit in summer and winter. In winter reduced energy costs can make their property more attractive to potential tenants, therefore potentially reducing the turnover rate and the associated costs of renovation, maintenance and vacancy periods, while in summer this could also assist in reducing overheating.

 

Landlords need to be made aware of the simple measures that they can adopt to help their tenants such as:

• Ensuring that windows can be opened.

• Making sure that windows can be shaded from direct sunshine, for example by providing thick curtains or blinds with reflective linings which can be closed during the day to reduce heating of the indoor environment.

 

Tenants should be informed about the ways of reducing their exposure to high temperatures via changes in behaviours such as:

• Making sure that they know about the correct measures for the property that they are in, especially tenants living in homes which are likely to be most severely affected. See the Further Resources section for more detailed information about building adaptations and associated actions.

• Making sure that tenants are aware of guidance designed to help them, and that landlords are aware of their responsibilities.⁵

 

Social landlords should be made aware which type of properties are the most likely to overheat (top flats in tower blocks) and to avoid housing people who are most sensitive to high temperatures (e.g. older people, those in poor health) and others who are socially vulnerable in them.⁶

 

Since many tenants live in urban areas, there is a good case for local authorities to work with partners to provide and maintain green infrastructure which can assist in urban cooling and flood risk management. See for example Groundwork’s brochure for social landlord.⁷ and the material on green infrastructure.

 

 

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