A proposed increase in the way stamp duty is assessed may not succeed in improving people's
home energy use, according to NewHomesForSale.
The government's suggestion is to raise the level of duty charged on homes that are assessed as being inefficient, in order to encourage more sellers to undertake the necessary home improvements to raise their property's environmental profile.
However, NewHomesForSale founder Vernon Pethard argues that the move could instead lead buyers to simply dismiss older buildings from their searches.
"Threatening an increase in stamp duty on older, poorly insulated homes is likely to deter people from buying one," he says.
This is "because it's not always possible to bring them up to the exacting modern standards set by today's brand new homes".
As a result, Mr Pethard calls the proposals "more stick than carrot" in terms of encouraging people to improve their home energy efficiency.
His comments follow the publication of a report by the Green Investment Bank Commission that suggests a number of measures that may be seen as less carrot, more stick by homeowners.
Suggestions made include setting minimum energy efficiency standards that all homes must meet, or introducing the tiered form of stamp duty land tax with punitive rates for poorly performing properties.
The arguably forceful approach used is part of the commission's desire to encourage householders to make the levels of private investment needed in order to raise energy efficiency in existing buildings.
However, as Mr Pethard points out, it could emerge as a shift towards buying new-build properties if introduced into the housing market as advised, rather than inspiring eco-friendly home improvements.
In addition to the stamp duty penalties that would be avoided by purchasing a new, energy-efficient home, he adds that recently constructed properties are typically more economical to own across the board.
