Guide · Renting

Minimum EPC rating for a rental property: E today, C by 2030 (England and Wales)

A private let in England or Wales needs EPC E or a registered exemption, with a £3,500 cost cap and fines up to £5,000. The government has decided on C by 1 October 2030, but that rule is not yet law.

Checked on against the official sources at the bottom of the page.

In short

In England and Wales, a private landlord cannot let, or continue to let, a home rated F or G on its energy performance certificate (EPC) unless a valid exemption is registered. The minimum is therefore EPC E, under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) Regulations 2015. A landlord does not have to spend more than £3,500 including VAT to reach E. Local authorities can fine up to £5,000 per property. On 21 January 2026 the government confirmed it will raise the standard to the equivalent of EPC C, with a compliance date of 1 October 2030 and a £10,000 cost cap, but that needs new legislation and is not in force on 21 October 2026. Scotland and Northern Ireland have no minimum EPC rating for private lets in force; both are preparing one.

Who the rule covers (England and Wales)

The GOV.UK landlord guidance says the Regulations apply to a domestic private rented property when both of these are true:

TestDetail
Type of tenancyAn assured tenancy, a regulated tenancy or a domestic agricultural tenancy
EPC requiredThe property legally needs an EPC; if it has been marketed for sale or let, or modified, in the past 10 years, it probably does

If either answer is no, GOV.UK says the property is not covered and “you may let it with an EPC rating of F or G”. The guidance is published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and is stated to apply to England and Wales. For how EPCs work in general, see energy performance certificates.

The current minimum: EPC E

Regulation 23 of SI 2015/962 forbids letting a “sub-standard” property:

  • since 1 April 2018, on a new tenancy, including an extension or renewal;
  • since 1 April 2020, continuing to let it, even with no change of tenant.

If a home rated F or G is empty and not about to be let, GOV.UK says no action is needed until you decide to let it again. If it is let now, the landlord must improve it to E “immediately” or register an exemption.

The £3,500 cost cap

GOV.UK states: “you are not currently required to spend more than £3,500 (including VAT) on energy efficiency improvements.”

SituationWhat the landlord must do
E can be reached for less than £3,500Make those improvements; nothing more is required
E costs more than £3,500Install the recommended measures that fit within £3,500, then register an “all improvements made” exemption
Third-party funding (ECO, local authority grant, Green Deal) covers the full costUse it; the cost cap does not apply
Funding covers part of the costTop up with your own money to the cap

Money spent on energy efficiency since 1 October 2017 counts towards the cap. The measures must come from the EPC’s recommendations (or a comparable report, such as one from a surveyor): installing something else that fails to reach E does not qualify for the exemption.

Exemptions

Exemptions are registered online on the PRS Exemptions Register and apply from the date of registration. The public can search the register, which also lists penalties.

ExemptionWhen it appliesLength
All relevant improvements madeStill below E after spending up to the cap, or nothing can be done5 years
High costThe cheapest recommended measure costs over £3,500 (3 quotes needed)5 years
Wall insulationOnly wall insulation is recommended and an expert says it would harm the building5 years
Third-party consentA tenant, superior landlord, lender, freeholder or planning authority refuses consent5 years, or until the tenancy ends if the tenant refused
Property devaluationA RICS-registered valuer says the works would cut the value by more than 5%5 years
New landlordYou recently became the landlord in certain circumstances6 months

When an exemption expires, the landlord must try again to reach E or register a new exemption.

Penalties

The MEES Regulations are enforced by local authorities. They can serve a compliance notice up to 12 months after a suspected breach and a penalty notice up to 18 months after it. The maximum fines, set by regulation 40 and repeated by GOV.UK, are per property and per breach:

BreachMaximum fine
Letting a non-compliant property for less than 3 months£2,000 and/or publication
Letting a non-compliant property for 3 months or more£4,000 and/or publication
False or misleading information on the Exemptions Register£1,000 and/or publication
Not complying with a compliance notice£2,000 and/or publication
Total per property£5,000

A landlord can ask the council to review a penalty, then appeal to the First-tier Tribunal.

EPC C by 2030: decided, not yet law

The government consulted from 7 February to 2 May 2025 and published its response on 21 January 2026. The response states that “the legislative changes set out in this document will be subject to Parliamentary approval.” The decisions announced:

PointDecided in the January 2026 response
StandardEquivalent of EPC C, measured on the new EPC metrics: a fabric performance standard first, then the landlord’s choice of a heating system standard or a smart readiness standard
Compliance dateA single date, 1 October 2030, for all tenancies
Until thenThe current EPC E minimum continues to apply
Cost cap£10,000 per property, as the most a landlord must spend over a 10-year period; the impact assessment estimates an average spend of £5,400
Early actionA home rated C or above on the current energy efficiency rating on an EPC dated before 1 October 2029 counts as compliant until that EPC expires
ExemptionsMore of them, including a new solid wall insulation exemption and a “property value adjustment” (affordability) exemption where the cap becomes the lower of £10,000 or 10% of the property’s value; some exemptions would last 10 years
FinesCouncils could fine up to £30,000 per property per breach
Short-term letsNot included

What is still missing. The government says it will seek new powers by Act of Parliament, then lay a statutory instrument “with the aim of it coming into force in 2027”. On 21 October 2026, the legislation.gov.uk record of SI 2015/962 showed no amendment raising the standard, and the GOV.UK landlord guidance (5 May 2026) still describes EPC E and the £3,500 cap as the rule. Treat C by 2030 as government policy until the regulations are made. The reformed EPC format these metrics rely on is itself due in the second half of 2027: see energy performance certificates.

Scotland

No minimum EPC rating for private lets is in force in Scotland. The Scottish Government published draft regulations on 6 June 2025 that would require privately rented homes, “as far as possible”, to reach the reformed EPC Heat Retention Rating (HRR) band C from 2028 for new tenancies and by 2033 for all privately rented homes, under existing powers in the Energy Act 2011. The consultation proposed a £10,000 cost cap. The analysis of the 316 responses was published on 6 October 2026; it records low support for the dates and the cap. These are proposals: Payotte found no regulations made. Scottish landlords must still register (see landlord registration) and give tenants the EPC.

Northern Ireland

nidirect says an EPC is needed whenever a property is marketed for sale or rent, but its page sets no minimum rating for a letting. Section 9 of the Private Tenancies Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 lets the Department for Communities make energy efficiency regulations for private tenancies; the Department’s implementation table lists them as “In progress”. No minimum EPC rating applies to NI lettings until those regulations are made. See renting in Northern Ireland.

Nation by nation

NationMinimum EPC to let todayWhat is planned
EnglandE, or a registered exemptionC equivalent by 1 October 2030 (decided, needs legislation)
WalesE, or a registered exemption (same Regulations)Same plan as England
ScotlandNone in forceHRR band C from 2028 for new tenancies, 2033 for all (proposed)
Northern IrelandNone in forceRegulations “in progress” under the 2022 Act

What it costs

The cap today is £3,500 including VAT per property in England and Wales; the planned cap is £10,000. The EPC itself is paid to an accredited assessor, with no official fixed price. The sample recommendations table in the GOV.UK guidance gives indicative costs ranging from £20 for low energy lighting to £4,000 to £14,000 for wall insulation, but these are examples, not quotes. Spending on a let property may have tax consequences: see buy-to-let tax and mortgage interest.

Which professional to consult

An accredited domestic energy assessor produces the EPC and its recommendations. A surveyor can advise on measures and their risks, and a RICS-registered valuer is needed for the devaluation exemption. If you are buying to let, ask your conveyancer for the current EPC before exchange.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum EPC rating to rent out a property?

E in England and Wales, unless an exemption is registered. Scotland and Northern Ireland have no minimum in force.

Is EPC C required for rentals from 2025?

No. The government has decided on the equivalent of C with a compliance date of 1 October 2030, but it needs new legislation and was not law on 21 October 2026.

How much do I have to spend to reach EPC E?

No more than £3,500 including VAT. If E cannot be reached within that, install what fits and register an “all improvements made” exemption.

What is the fine for letting a property rated F or G?

Up to £4,000 for 3 months or more of non-compliant letting, and up to £5,000 in total per property.

Will an EPC C I get now still count after 2030?

The government says a C on the current rating, from an EPC dated before 1 October 2029, will count as compliant until that EPC expires. This depends on the regulations being made as announced.

General information drawn from the official sources cited and dated on this page. It is not legal, tax or financial advice: for your own situation, ask a licensed professional.

More guides on renting

Sources

All guides · Payotte UK