The energy label in the point count for room rentals (WWSO)

Why the WWSO is a separate framework

With room rentals, it is not the whole home but the individual room or non-self-contained housing unit that is valued, with its own set of rules for shared facilities such as the kitchen and bathroom. The Rent Tribunal maintains a separate policy manual for this, apart from the policy manual for self-contained housing.

The energy label of the building as a whole still affects the valuation for room rentals too, but the way that label is translated into points per room, and the way shared spaces are factored in, differs from the point count for a self-contained rental home.

What this means for landlords of room rental properties

Landlords who rent out a property with multiple rooms cannot simply apply the point table for self-contained housing to each room separately. For a correct calculation, consult the Rent Tribunal's specific policy manual for non-self-contained housing, or have the point count per room drawn up professionally.

Because the 2029 Bbl label requirement applies to the rental property as a whole, including room rental properties, the energy performance of the building counts here too. A label improvement for the whole property can thus simultaneously affect the Bbl obligation and the WWSO point count of all rooms.

• The WWSO has its own policy manual and system, separate from self-contained housing.
• The building's energy label has an effect, but with a different point allocation per room.
• A label improvement for the whole property affects both the Bbl obligation and the point count of all rooms.