Government proposes minimum EPC C for rental properties by 2030

The UK government has proposed that domestic private rented properties in England and Wales must reach a minimum EPC rating of C by 2030, with all new tenancies meeting the standard by 2028¹. The current legal minimum is band E, enforced under the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015². Trading standards guidance for England and Wales states that the government "has proposed raising the minimum EPC standard for domestic private rented properties to band C by 2030" and that until this comes into force, landlords must continue to meet the band E minimum unless a valid exemption applies².

The Energy Saving Trust describes the proposal as a consultation, stating that the UK Government "is consulting on plans to require private rented properties in England and Wales to achieve an EPC rating of C or above by 2030"³. It reports that less than half, 48%, of private rented homes in England currently hold an EPC rating of C or above, and estimates the average cost of upgrading a property to the new standard at between £6,100 and £6,800³. It also states that the changes could save tenants an estimated £240 a year on annual energy bills³.

Under the existing band E rules, a recommended improvement counts as a "relevant energy efficiency improvement" only where third-party funding covers the full cost, or where the work can be done for £3,500 or less including VAT using the landlord's own funding, or through a combination of both². Where recommended improvements cost more than £3,500, landlords can apply for a high-cost exemption through the PRS Exemptions Register, and an exemption lasts for five years³. All exemptions must be registered on the national PRS Exemptions Register, which carries public access to some information including property addresses, the nature of the exemptions and valid EPCs². Enforcement authorities may impose financial penalties for breaches, with a maximum total financial penalty of £5,000 per property, and may also impose a publication penalty².

The regulations apply to properties let on assured, regulated and agricultural tenancies that are legally required to have an EPC, and cover private, local authority and other public body landlords, as well as tenants who sub-let². They do not apply to tenancies of less than six months or more than 99 years². Properties are excepted from the EPC requirement in certain cases, including listed or officially protected buildings where minimum energy performance requirements would unacceptably alter them, and detached buildings with a total floor space of less than 50 m2².

"The UK Government has proposed raising the minimum EPC standard for domestic private rented properties to band C by 2030. Until such time as this comes into force, landlords must continue to ensure that properties meet the band E minimum standard, unless a valid exemption applies."

Why it matters for households

For renters, the EPC band of a home is a proxy for how much it costs to heat and light. A move from band E to band C implies fabric and heating improvements that reduce running costs, and the Energy Saving Trust puts the potential tenant saving at around £240 a year³. For anyone advising households, the practical point is that the standard is not yet law: the band E minimum still applies, and the band C proposal remains a consultation². A tenancy granted now is governed by the current rules, not the proposed ones.

The proposal also bears on a home's energy independence in the sense of reduced demand: a better insulated, better controlled property needs less purchased energy to reach the same comfort level. The measures that typically lift a rating are set out in EPC recommendations and include insulation, heating controls, glazing and renewable generation⁴. How an EPC is calculated matters here, because the rating is based on the modelled cost of heating, hot water and lighting per square metre rather than directly on carbon emissions, which can disadvantage electrically heated homes even where the system itself is efficient⁴.

What happens next

The 2028 date for new tenancies and the 2030 date for all rented properties come from a single trade source describing the government's proposal¹; the government's own consultation outcome has not been reported in these sources. The Energy Saving Trust states it will update its guidance with the results of the consultation when available⁴. Separately, the Scottish Government's Heat in Buildings Bill consultation proposes new minimum energy efficiency standards for private landlords in Scotland to meet by 2028, and proposes that building owners replace polluting heating systems such as gas, oil and LPG boilers with clean ones by 2045³. The Scottish Government is also introducing changes to reduce the validity period of EPCs from 10 to five years³.

Sources4 cited

1. The 11 best ways to improve your property’s EPC rating UK, 2026, sunsave.energy
2. Energy efficiency of rented property: domestic, anglesey.gov.wales
3. Energy efficiency for landlords - Energy Saving Trust, energysavingtrust.org.uk
4. How to improve your EPC rating - Energy Saving Trust, energysavingtrust.org.uk