Home › The rules today
The minimum EPC rating for rented homes today
In England and Wales, you can't let a home rated F or G unless you've registered an exemption. Here's how the current rules, known as the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES), work.
The rule
A privately rented home must have an EPC rating of E or above. This has applied to new tenancies since 1 April 2018, and to all tenancies, including existing ones, since 1 April 2020. It covers assured (including assured shorthold), regulated and domestic agricultural tenancies where the property legally needs an EPC.
How much you have to spend
If your property is F or G, you must make improvements to reach E, but you don't have to spend more than £3,500 including VAT. Improvements made since 1 October 2017 count towards that. If you've spent £3,500 and the property is still below E, you can register an exemption.
Exemptions
You can let a property below E if a valid exemption is registered on the PRS Exemptions Register. Most last 5 years. The main ones are: all relevant improvements made, high cost, wall insulation that could damage the property, consent refused, devaluation of more than 5%, and 6 months for a new landlord. Read about exemptions →
Fines
| Breach | Maximum penalty |
|---|---|
| Letting a non-compliant property for less than 3 months | £2,000 |
| Letting a non-compliant property for 3 months or more | £4,000 |
| False or misleading information on the Exemptions Register | £1,000 |
| Not complying with a compliance notice | £2,000 |
| Total per property, per breach | £5,000 |
Councils enforce the rules. They can also publish your details for at least 12 months. You can ask for a review and then appeal to the First-tier Tribunal.
The minimum is going up. By 1 October 2030 all private tenancies must meet a standard equivalent to EPC C, with a £10,000 cost cap and fines of up to £30,000. Read about EPC C by 2030 →
Sources
Want your EPCs, and everything else, managed without the stress?
LandlordHub keeps every certificate, rating and renewal date for every property in one place, and reminds you before anything runs out. So nothing slips through the cracks.
- Every EPC in one place, with its rating and expiry date
- Upload a certificate and LandlordHub picks out the rating and date for you
- Email and text reminders before an EPC, gas safety record or electrical report expires
- One traffic-light screen showing which properties are compliant and which need attention
- Tenants, rent, repairs and documents managed in the same place
Is your rental EPC compliant?
Check today's rules and the 2030 deadline in under a minute. Nothing you choose is saved or sent anywhere.