EPC Rules for Landlords: E Now, C by 2030

Today, a privately rented home in England or Wales must have an EPC rating of E or above before you let it, unless you have registered a valid exemption. The government has said the minimum will rise to C, with every tenancy needing to comply by 1 October 2030 and a cap of £10,000 per property on what a landlord must spend. That higher standard still needs new legislation, so E remains the legal minimum for now. This guide covers the current rules, the exemptions, what is planned for 2030 and what to do now. It is general information, not legal advice.

The current rules

The minimum energy efficiency standard guidance on GOV.UK applies to England and Wales. Since 1 April 2020 you cannot let, or continue to let, a covered property rated below E unless a valid exemption applies. The standard covers assured tenancies, regulated tenancies and domestic agricultural tenancies, where the property is legally required to have an EPC.

Councils enforce the standard. A landlord who lets a substandard property without a registered exemption can face a civil penalty, and the public register shows penalties issued as well as exemptions.

EPC basics for landlords

• When you need one. GOV.UK says you must order an EPC for potential tenants before you market the property to rent.
• Showing it. The landlord or letting agent must make the EPC available to prospective tenants, and give a copy to the person who becomes the tenant. Keep a note of when you gave it.
• How long it lasts. An EPC is valid for 10 years.
• The ratings. Homes are rated from A, the most efficient, to G, the least. See EPC rating bands.
• Finding yours. Search the Find an energy certificate service by postcode. If there is no valid certificate, book a domestic energy assessor through GOV.UK.
• Scotland. The EPC must be displayed inside the property, for example in the meter cupboard or next to the boiler.

Exemptions and the PRS Exemptions Register

If a property cannot reach E, you may be able to register an exemption. GOV.UK says exemptions apply from the point you register them on the PRS Exemptions Register, and you can let the property once the exemption is registered. The main types are:

• All relevant improvements made: lasts 5 years.
• High cost: where the cheapest recommended improvement would cost more than the cap, currently £3,500 including VAT. Lasts 5 years.
• Wall insulation: lasts 5 years.
• Third party consent: where consent you need from someone else is refused. Lasts 5 years, or until the tenancy ends if the tenant's consent was the issue.
• Property devaluation: lasts 5 years.
• New landlord: a temporary exemption of 6 months for someone who has recently become a landlord.

An exemption is not permanent. Note the end date and plan what happens next.

The plan for EPC C by 2030

In January 2026 the government published its response to the consultation on improving the energy performance of privately rented homes. The main points:

• One date for everyone. Private landlords of all tenancies will need to meet the higher standard by 1 October 2030. There will not be an earlier date for new tenancies.
• A cost cap of £10,000 per property. Homes valued below £100,000 get a lower cap of 10% of the property's value.
• Spending since 1 October 2025 counts. Once the regulations apply, money spent on relevant energy efficiency measures installed since 1 October 2025 will count towards the cap.
• New measures on the certificate. The standard will be set against a fabric performance measure on new-style EPCs, plus either a heating system measure or a smart readiness measure, at the landlord's choice.
• Existing C ratings carry over. A home rated C or above on an EPC lodged before 1 October 2029 will be treated as meeting the higher standard until that certificate expires or is replaced.
• Exemptions continue, including a high cost exemption where even the cheapest recommended improvement would exceed the cap.

The response says these changes are subject to Parliamentary approval, and that the government plans new powers followed by regulations, aiming for them to come into force in 2027. The GOV.UK landlord guidance, last updated in May 2026, still treats E as the legal minimum. Until the new regulations are made, plan for C but comply with E.

What to do now

1. List every property with its current rating and expiry date. Use the Find an energy certificate service for any you are unsure of.
2. Check the recommendations. Each EPC lists improvements with indicative costs. These show which homes are close to C and which are far off.
3. Think about timing. A home already rated C on an EPC lodged before 1 October 2029 is treated as meeting the new standard until that certificate expires. Equally, work done after 1 October 2025 is planned to count towards the cap.
4. Keep every invoice. If spend is going to count towards a cap, you will need proof of what was installed, when and at what cost.
5. Budget per property. Use the cap figures as a ceiling, not a target, and include the work in your plans for each home.

Energy improvements can also affect your tax. An improvement is usually treated differently from a repair for income tax. Our guide to allowable expenses for landlords and the repair or improvement question explain the line.

A worked example

Take a landlord with three homes. This is an illustration, not advice for your property.

• Home 1 is rated D on an EPC lodged in 2019. It meets the current E minimum. Its certificate runs until 2029, so it will need a new EPC before 2030, and on the new-style certificate it will need to meet the higher standard by 1 October 2030 unless an exemption applies.
• Home 2 is rated C on an EPC lodged in 2024. On the government's plan it would be treated as meeting the higher standard until that certificate expires or is replaced.
• Home 3 is rated E with a list of recommended measures. It meets today's minimum, but it is the one to plan and budget for first, keeping invoices for any work done from 1 October 2025.

The point of the exercise is to know, for each home, the current rating, the expiry date and the gap to C. With those three facts you can plan work in the order that makes sense, rather than finding out when a certificate runs out.

If you use a letting agent

An agent will usually arrange an EPC before marketing a property and show it to applicants. Ask your agent to tell you when each certificate is due to expire and to send you the recommendations page. Decisions about spending on improvements are yours, so agree in advance how the agent should handle a property that falls below the minimum.

How the EPC fits with your other duties

The EPC is one of the certificates a landlord needs before a tenancy starts, alongside the gas safety record and the EICR. See our landlord compliance checklist, the quick answers on whether landlords must provide an EPC and what rating landlords need, and the landlord compliance checker.

Tracking ratings and expiry dates

With several homes, the hard part is knowing which certificate runs out when and which home is furthest from C. VoxaMTD's paid plans record each property's EPC with the document, show when it falls due, and keep a sealed, dated record next to the gas and electrical certificates. See how VoxaMTD tracks each property's certificates.

Sources

All read on 2 November 2026.

• GOV.UK: Domestic private rented property, minimum energy efficiency standard, landlord guidance (updated 5 May 2026)
• GOV.UK: Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes, government response (21 January 2026)
• GOV.UK: Energy Performance Certificates for your home
• GOV.UK: Find an energy certificate

This guide is general information, not legal advice. The 2030 changes depend on legislation that has not yet been made.