The majority – 80% of potential renters – would ask their landlord what they have done to improve a property’s energy efficiency before moving in, a survey carried out by Direct Line shows.

Slightly lower than this number – 75% – say that energy efficiency is important to them, and 60% believe that landlords don’t take the issue seriously enough, the survey also reveals.

And there is a small but significant contingent of people who are willing to take a more hard-line approach – 25% of those asked would find a home’s poor energy efficiency sufficient reason to either leave or not rent it at all.

On the matter of landlords not taking energy efficiency seriously enough, Direct Line’s survey says that 83% have made positive changes to their properties and 73% of landlords replied that they understand the level of importance this has to renters.

Just over half – 55% of landlords – have made improvements without being regulatory motivation and 39% say they did so out of their own concerns for environmental degradation.

The most popular change with 48% of landlords carrying this out, is to improve appliances and lighting  while the least most popular changes are to add new insulation and to install a smart meter, at 33% and 22%, respectively.

Direct Line landlord business manager Jamie Chaplin comments: “It’s encouraging that both tenants and landlords see a property’s energy efficiency as important, ensuring that rented homes are more sustainable and cheaper to run.

“It’s also great to see so many landlords taking action, making a diverse range of changes to their properties to ensure they’re greener.

“Landlords making changes to their property should check their existing insurance arrangements and ensure that they have the right cover in place.”