Prince William’s Duchy of Cornwall has been accused of acting like a rogue landlord as furious tenants claim they are living in freezing homes riddled with mould.
Several rented properties owned by the £1billion business empire do not meet the minimum energy efficiency threshold that landlords are required to meet, according to an investigation.
Some have no central heating causing the temperature to plummet during the winter months, while one is known to only have a wood burner and coal fire that heats just two rooms.
The royal estate is owned by William and it has more than 600 rental properties.
Prince William suffers blow amid claims rental homes do not meet minimum legal energy efficiency standards
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The estate raked in £23.6million worth of profits in the last financial year.
William, 42, is understood to pay income tax on the full amount, although annual accounts published in July did not specify how much he paid.
The probe by Channel 4’s Dispatches found one in seven of the 500 Duchy residential rental properties have low Energy Performance Certificate ratings.
Of those, 50 were rated F and 20 rated G, including six properties with the lowest EPC score of one point out of 100.
Since April 2020, properties covered by the minimum energy efficiency standards regulations cannot be let if the rating is below E – unless they have a valid exemption.
Landlords do not have to pay more than £3,500 per property to make energy efficiency improvements.
The Duchy’s private estate was established in 1337 with many of the buildings more than a century old.
Photos show a home with the corner of one room and the back of the wallpaper covered in black mould. In another, brown stains can be seen on the ceiling.
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One anonymous tenant has mould appearing on soft furnishings and clothes, but claims the Duchy will not fully insulate the property because of the cost.
They told The Mirror: “But you don’t want to say anything against your landlord for fear of eviction. There could be consequences.”
Another has been told their home is uninhabitable and others use blankets to fight off the bitter cold.
One tenant claims they were not allowed to have double glazing because “Prince Charles doesn’t like it”.
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“Well he doesn’t have to live here,” they snapped back.
A Duchy of Cornwall spokesman told The Mail: “The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate with a commercial imperative which we achieve alongside our commitment to restoring the natural environment and generating positive social impact for our communities.
“Prince William became Duke of Cornwall in September 2022 and since then has committed to an expansive transformation of the Duchy.
“This includes a significant investment to make the estate net zero by the end of 2032, as well as establishing targeted mental health support for our tenants and working with local partners to help tackle homelessness in Cornwall.”
