What is an EPC?
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) shows how energy efficient a home is, on a scale from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient). It's produced by an accredited energy assessor after a visit, lasts 10 years, and lists improvements that would raise the rating.
When you need an EPC
- Before you market the property. You must have a valid EPC, or have commissioned one, before you advertise a home to let.
- In adverts. Adverts in commercial media must show the EPC rating.
- For your tenant. Give the tenant a copy of the EPC free of charge, and show it to anyone viewing the property.
- Every 10 years. One EPC covers any number of tenancies while it's valid. It doesn't need replacing just because it expires during an existing tenancy, but you'll need a valid one before you market the property again.
Trading Standards can fine you £200 for each failure to have or show a valid EPC.
Rooms, HMOs and listed buildings
Today you don't need an EPC to let a single room, but the whole building needs one if it's let or sold as a whole. Listed buildings only avoid needing an EPC if meeting energy standards would unacceptably alter their character. The government has decided to change both rules: a whole HMO will need a valid EPC when a room is let, and the listed building exemption will go. These changes come with the EPC reforms, so they aren't in force yet.
The minimum rating today: EPC E
Under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES), you can't let a home rated F or G in England and Wales unless you've registered a valid exemption. This has applied to new tenancies since April 2018 and to all tenancies since 1 April 2020.
- Cost cap: you don't have to spend more than £3,500 (including VAT) to reach E.
- Exemptions include: all relevant improvements made, high cost, wall insulation that would harm the property, third-party consent refused, devaluation of more than 5%, and 6 months for a new landlord. Most last 5 years and only count once they're on the PRS Exemptions Register.
- Penalties: up to £2,000 for letting below E for under 3 months, £4,000 for 3 months or more, and up to £5,000 in total per property. Councils can also publish your details.
EPC C by 2030: what's been decided
In January 2026 the government confirmed it will raise the minimum standard. The main points:
| What | The decision |
|---|---|
| Deadline | All private tenancies, new and existing, by 1 October 2030. There's no earlier date for new tenancies. |
| What counts as "C" | Two of the new EPC ratings must be C: fabric (insulation and draught-proofing) plus either heating system or smart readiness, your choice. |
| A C on today's EPC | Counts as compliant if the EPC was done before 1 October 2029, until it expires or is replaced. |
| Cost cap | £10,000 per property over 10 years. Spending from 1 October 2025 counts. Homes worth under £100,000: 10% of the value. |
| Exemptions | High cost, all improvements made, cost cap reached, low property value, solid wall insulation, negative impacts, third-party consent and new landlord. |
| Penalties | Up to £30,000 per property per breach. |
| When it becomes law | The government aims to bring the regulations into force in 2027, subject to Parliament. |
If you're planning work anyway, keep receipts from 1 October 2025 onwards. They count towards the £10,000 cap.
Letting agent or portfolio landlord? Use our bulk EPC checker to see which of your properties already meet EPC C for 2030, straight from the official register.
New-style EPCs from 2027
EPCs are being reformed. Instead of a single rating, new EPCs will show separate ratings for fabric performance, heating system and smart readiness, plus an estimated energy cost. They'll be calculated with a new method, the Home Energy Model. The launch was moved to the second half of 2027. EPCs will still last 10 years, and your current EPC stays valid until it expires.
Under the proposals, a home heated by a gas or oil boiler couldn't score C on the heating rating, which is why most landlords will aim for C on fabric plus smart readiness. A smart meter is proposed as the minimum for C on smart readiness. The final band boundaries haven't been set yet.
EPCs and the Renters' Rights Act
In England, section 21 "no fault" evictions ended on 1 May 2026. Not having given the tenant an EPC used to stop a landlord using section 21; that link has gone with section 21, but you must still give every new tenant a copy. The new Decent Homes Standard, which will apply to private rented homes from 2035, includes meeting the minimum energy efficiency rules. In Wales, you must have given the contract-holder a valid EPC before you can serve certain possession notices.
Help with the cost
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme: landlords can apply. £7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump, £5,000 for a biomass boiler, £2,500 for an air-to-air heat pump.
- ECO4: energy supplier-funded upgrades for eligible low-income households, now running until 31 December 2026.
- Warm Homes: Local Grant: through local councils, for low-income households in privately owned or rented homes rated D to G.
- Wales: the Warm Homes Nest scheme is open to private renters, with the landlord's permission.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland has no minimum EPC rating for private lets yet. The Scottish Government has consulted on a minimum standard of C (on a new heat retention rating) for new tenancies from 2028 and all tenancies by the end of 2033, and new Scottish EPCs are due from 30 April 2028. Northern Ireland requires an EPC when letting but has no minimum rating yet.
What to do now
- Look up every property on the EPC register and note each rating and expiry date
- Make sure every let home is E or above, or has an exemption on the PRS Exemptions Register
- For homes below C, read the EPC's recommendations and plan the cheapest fabric improvements first: loft and cavity insulation, draught-proofing
- Get a smart meter fitted where you can
- Keep every invoice from 1 October 2025: it counts towards the £10,000 cap
- Check grants before you pay for work yourself
- Set reminders so no EPC expires before you need to re-let
Want more detail? Our sister site EPC Ready is a free, in-depth guide to EPCs for landlords, with a 2030 checker.
How LandlordHub helps
LandlordHub keeps every property's EPC in one place with your other certificates. Upload the certificate and it picks out the rating and date for you. It shows every property's EPC, gas safety and electrical status on one traffic-light screen, and sends you email and text reminders before anything expires, so you're never caught without a valid EPC when you come to re-let.
Frequently asked questions
What EPC rating does a rented home need?
In England and Wales, a privately rented home must currently have an EPC rating of E or above, unless a valid exemption is registered on the PRS Exemptions Register. The government has decided that all private tenancies must meet a higher standard, equivalent to EPC C, by 1 October 2030.
When do rented homes need to be EPC C?
By 1 October 2030 for all private tenancies in England and Wales, new and existing. There is no earlier date for new tenancies. The government aims to bring the regulations into force in 2027, subject to Parliament.
How much will I have to spend to reach EPC C?
The government has set a cap of £10,000 per property, spread over 10 years. Spending from 1 October 2025 counts towards it. For homes worth under £100,000 the cap is 10% of the property's value. If you reach the cap and the home still isn't C, you can register an exemption.
Does my EPC C rating today count for 2030?
Yes, if it's on an EPC carried out before 1 October 2029. A C on today's rating counts as compliant until that EPC expires or is replaced. After that, the new-style EPC metrics apply.
How long is an EPC valid?
10 years. You can use the same EPC for any number of tenancies in that time. You don't need a new one just because it expires during an existing tenancy, but you need a valid one before you market the property again.
What is the fine for not having an EPC?
Trading Standards can issue a £200 fixed penalty for each failure to have or show an EPC when letting. Letting a property below the minimum rating without an exemption can cost up to £5,000 per property today, rising to £30,000 under the 2030 rules.
Do I need an EPC for an HMO or a room let?
Today you don't need an EPC to let a single room, but the whole building needs one if it's sold or let as a whole. The government has decided this will change: under the EPC reforms, a whole HMO will need a valid EPC when a room is let.
Are listed buildings exempt from EPCs?
Today, a listed building only avoids needing an EPC if meeting energy standards would unacceptably alter its character or appearance. The government has decided to remove this exemption under its EPC reforms.
What grants can landlords get?
Landlords can apply for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (£7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump). ECO4 runs until 31 December 2026. The Warm Homes: Local Grant covers low-income households in privately rented homes rated D to G.