Duchy of Prince of Wales accused of allowing homes on royal grounds to grow moldy

In a 15-month Channel 4 (C4) Dispatches investigation with the Mirror newspaper, rental properties on the crown estate complained of cases of mold and damp.

Some also complained about the lack of ecological improvements to their homes, and the investigation claims to have found that some of the rented properties did not comply with minimum energy efficiency requirements for homeowners.

They found that one in seven of the 500 ducat rental properties they identified had low Energy Performance Certificate ratings.

‘Badly cold’

Duchy founded in 1337 and most of the buildings in its real estate portfolio are over 100 years old.

The Telegraph understands that the Duchy is committed to continually improving its properties and is working closely with its tenants to actively address the energy efficiency of properties in the portfolio.

One tenant told C4 Dispatches: “It gets so cold in the winter that I can only heat two rooms in my house. The Duchy doesn’t understand.”

Another said: “The house is cold, there is struggle, but there is nowhere else to live here… When the wind starts to blow, the curtains start to shake. “There is no heating upstairs.”