What European Property Owners Think About Renovation, And What It Means for Building Renovation Passports
Europe’s buildings are central to achieving climate neutrality by 2050, and the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) sets an ambitious course to get there. The mandatory renovation of the worst-performing buildings, the phase-out of fossil-fuel heating, and the progressive transition toward Zero-Emission Buildings (ZEBs) will all require millions of property owners to take action. At the same time, new instruments such as Building Renovation Passports (BRPs), Building Information Modelling (BIM), and One-Stop-Shops (OSS) are being introduced to help make renovation more accessible, coordinated, and cost-effective.
Yet turning legislation into practical solutions is not straightforward. Property owners still face high costs, a lack of guidance, and difficulty navigating fragmented information. Understanding these needs is essential for designing tools that truly work in real life.
This is the context in which the International Union of Property Owners (UIPI) has published its latest Europe-wide survey, gathering insights from more than 5,500 respondents across 32 countries. The results offer a valuable window into how homeowners and small landlords perceive renovation, and, critically, how they view tools like the Building Renovation Passport. For a project like One Click Reno, which is developing a user-centred BRP for Europe, these findings provide both confirmation and direction.
The survey confirms a positive trend: 84% of respondents have renovated in the past decade, are currently doing so, or plan to renovate within the next ten years. Motivation is high, particularly for maintaining or preserving the property, improving comfort, reducing energy bills or increasing property value.
However, enthusiasm does not eliminate barriers. Financial constraints remain the top obstacle, followed by perceptions that “it’s not worth it”, limited support schemes, and uncertainty about renovation outcomes. Renovation is still seen by many as complex and overwhelming, especially when coordination among multiple owners is required.
These findings reinforce the need for clear financial pathways, trusted guidance, and better long-term planning tools, exactly where BRPs and OSS are meant to play a pivotal role.
The most striking insight from the survey is the lack of familiarity with the Building Renovation Passport.
84% of respondents do not know what a BRP is
After receiving a short definition, half remain unsure about its usefulness
Only 25% believe it would guide their renovation decisions
Willingness to buy a BRP exists (62%), but 45% would only do so if subsidised
Most respondents would pay €0–250, showing a clear expectation of public funding
These results highlight a critical communication gap: despite BRPs being a flagship measure of the EPBD, most property owners have never heard of them, and even after learning about the concept, many do not yet see how a BRP could help them structure or prioritise their renovation.
But the survey also reveals something equally important: when explained, many owners recognise the value of having a long-term renovation roadmap, especially since most renovations are carried out incrementally.
71% of respondents renovate in several steps, not all at once.
Only 13% achieve a deep renovation standard under current conditions.
This “step-by-step reality” makes BRPs not only relevant but necessary. They provide a structured way to plan improvements in the right sequence, avoid costly mistakes, and progressively work toward higher energy performance.
The One Click Reno project aims to make renovation easier, smarter, and more user-centred across Europe. The insights from the UIPI survey help validate this direction in several ways:
Low BRP awareness confirms the need for better communication and engagement. OCR’s approach, co-creation workshops, user journeys, and stakeholder dialogues , becomes even more important when most owners are still unfamiliar with the tool meant to guide future renovation policy.
Financial conditions shape behaviour. Since willingness to adopt a BRP is strongly linked to subsidies, OCR’s work on aligning BRP content with existing financial schemes and simplifying eligibility directly responds to user expectations.
Renovation is incremental and Building Renovation Passports must be too. OCR’s BRP model is designed to support staged renovation, helping owners understand what to do first, how to sequence actions, and how to make progress even with small budgets.
Trust is essential. The survey shows low trust in EPCs and limited confidence in renovation outcomes. OCR’s focus on high-quality audits, transparent methodologies, and clear data models positions the BRP as a more reliable and personalised guidance tool.
OSS integration is a priority. With only 11% of owners aware of One-Stop-Shops, increasing visibility is vital. OCR’s work strengthens the bridge between BRPs and OSS services, enhancing access to support and advice.
The UIPI survey shows that European homeowners are willing to renovate, but they need clarity, guidance, and affordable pathways to do so. The Building Renovation Passport has the potential to become a cornerstone of this transition, yet it must be communicated better, funded adequately, and designed around real user needs.
Through its data-driven BRP, co-creation methodology, and collaboration with pilot cities and renovation actors, One Click Reno is working to bridge this gap. The project’s mission aligns closely with what property owners say they need: a renovation process that is coherent, predictable, financially accessible, and easy to navigate.
As Europe accelerates its journey toward climate neutrality, tools like the BRP, when properly designed and implemented, can turn policy ambition into practical, achievable action for every homeowner.
