MEES Regulations 2026: Landlord EPC Requirements, Fines and Exemptions

The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards prohibit letting residential properties in England and Wales rated below EPC band E. Since April 2020, this rule applies to all private tenancies, not just new ones. Fines reach £30,000 per property. A proposed upgrade to band C by 2028–2030 makes proactive compliance essential.

What MEES currently requires

The rules are specific: you cannot lawfully let a residential property in England or Wales with an EPC rating below E. "Letting" includes granting a new tenancy, renewing an existing fixed term, and continuing an existing periodic tenancy. The current standard has applied since:

• 1 April 2018, new tenancies and renewals
• 1 April 2020, all tenancies, including existing periodic agreements

If you have a long-standing tenant who moved in before 2018, MEES has still applied to that tenancy since April 2020. A property rated F or G cannot be legally continued as a let, regardless of tenancy age.

What triggers the MEES obligation?

A valid, compliant EPC must be in place when:

• Granting a new assured shorthold tenancy (AST)
• Renewing a fixed-term tenancy
• A fixed-term tenancy rolls into a statutory periodic tenancy (treated as a new tenancy)
• Marketing the property for rent (EPC must be available to prospective tenants before viewing)

Short lets under four months, agricultural tenancies, and listed buildings (in limited circumstances) may be exempt.

Penalties for non-compliance

Enforcement is handled by local authorities, typically the private sector housing team. London boroughs vary significantly in enforcement intensity: Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney, and Southwark have run active campaigns.

Fines are per property, not per landlord. A portfolio landlord with five F-rated flats faces up to £150,000 in fines if all are let in breach. Enforcement actions are published on a publicly searchable database, the reputational impact is real alongside the financial penalty.

If contacted by your local authority, respond promptly with evidence of either compliance, exemption registration, or a documented improvement timeline. Councils generally prefer compliance over prosecution, and a credible plan is treated far better than silence.

Exemptions: what qualifies and how to register

Exemptions must be registered on the PRS Exemptions Register (gov.uk) before you continue letting. An unregistered exemption is not valid, this is the most common reason landlords face fines they thought they had avoided.

Cost cap exemption

All relevant improvements would cost more than £3,500 (including VAT). To qualify:

1. Get quotes from at least three registered installers for each EPC-recommended improvement
2. Carry out all improvements that collectively cost under £3,500 first, you cannot claim the exemption without exhausting sub-cap measures
3. Submit the exemption form with evidence (quotes, completion certificates)

This exemption is valid for five years. After expiry, reassess, improvements may have become cheaper or funded through ECO4.

Consent exemption

A third party, tenant, lender, or planning authority, has refused consent in writing for the required works. The refusal must be documented with dates, method, and written confirmation. Valid for five years or until the tenant changes.

Devaluation exemption

An independent RICS surveyor confirms in writing that carrying out the required improvements would reduce the property's market value by more than 5%. Rare in practice for most London properties.

Listed building exemption

The property is listed or in a conservation area and improvements would unacceptably alter its character or appearance. Planning consent for the works was formally refused. This exemption is often misapplied, consult a solicitor before relying on it.

All exemptions last five years except the new landlord exemption (six months), which applies when you recently acquired the property through inheritance or repossession.

Common scenarios and what to do

You have an F-rated property with a current tenant

You are in breach of MEES. Options:

1. Improve the property to E or above, the required route unless an exemption applies
2. Check whether all relevant improvements exceed £3,500 and register a cost-cap exemption with three quotes as evidence
3. Check for another qualifying exemption

Do not issue a section 21 notice to evict the tenant as a mechanism to avoid improvement costs. This is widely regarded as retaliatory eviction and is ineffective, you'd still need to improve the property before re-letting.

You have a G-rated Victorian terrace in Islington or Hackney

Victorian solid-wall properties are the problem cases. With no cavity to fill, the main routes to E are:

• Modern condensing boiler (if the existing is pre-2005)
• LED lighting throughout
• Loft insulation to 270mm
• Draught-proofing

These may collectively get a G to E or D for £500–£1,500. If the total cost of all EPC-recommended measures exceeds £3,500, document it properly with three quotes and register the exemption.

You're buying an F-rated property at auction

MEES applies from the moment you become the landlord. The new landlord exemption gives you six months to act, but factor improvement costs into your purchase calculation. An F-rated Victorian terrace with solid walls may need £8,000–£16,000 to reach E reliably.

The proposed upgrade to band C

The 2023 government consultation proposed:

• 2028: Minimum band C for new tenancies
• 2030: Minimum band C for all tenancies

The legislation has not yet been passed (May 2026), but the direction is firm. The proposed cost cap rises to £15,000, significantly higher than the current £3,500, meaning fewer properties will qualify for cost-cap exemptions under the C standard.

For a full planning guide including property-type cost breakdowns, see our EPC C by 2030 guide. For the complete landlord compliance picture across your portfolio, see our EPC for landlords guide.

Practical next steps

1. Check every property on the EPC register, free at find-energy-certificate.service.gov.uk
2. Commission new assessments for expired certificates before next letting
3. For sub-E properties: get improvement quotes and check ECO4 eligibility
4. For portfolio landlords: contact us for bulk assessment rates across all London boroughs
5. Register any valid exemptions before continuing to let

Contact us or see our pricing for assessment costs by property size. For London landlords, our landlords service page covers portfolio discounts, next-day bookings, and MEES compliance in full.