The minimum energy efficiency standard for letting is band E. It has been since April 2020 for all existing tenancies, under the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015.
Everything else you have read about EPC C is a proposal. That distinction is the whole article, because a landlord who spends £15,000 on a retrofit for a 2028 deadline that does not exist has been badly advised.
What is enacted
- Band E minimum to let a domestic property, England and Wales.
- F and G may not be let unless a valid exemption is registered.
- An EPC lasts ten years.
- Penalty up to £5,000 per property for letting below the standard.
What is proposed, and not law
The government has confirmed an intention to raise the minimum to band C, with all private tenancies required to comply by 1 October 2030. The final regulations have not been made.
Two things follow. First, the date has moved before — earlier consultations floated 2025 and 2028, and anyone still quoting 2028 is repeating a superseded consultation. Second, until regulations are made the detail is not fixed: the cost cap, the exemption regime and the phasing are all live questions.
Plan for it. Do not treat it as in force, and be suspicious of anyone selling against a date that has not been enacted.
The exemptions
All must be registered on the PRS Exemptions Register — an unregistered exemption does not exist, however well it would have qualified.
- All improvements made, and the property is still below E.
- Cost cap reached — currently £3,500 including VAT spent on improvements without reaching E.
- Third-party consent refused — a tenant, freeholder or planning authority withholding it.
- Devaluation — a suitably qualified surveyor certifies the work would reduce value by more than 5%.
- Wall insulation that would negatively affect the fabric or structure.
- New landlord, a temporary six-month exemption on recently becoming a landlord in defined circumstances.
Most exemptions last five years; the new-landlord one is six months.
Penalties
Enforced by the local authority. Up to £5,000 per property in total, structured by breach type and duration, with a separate penalty for registering false or misleading information on the exemptions register.
It is one of the few figures LASPO s.85 did not touch, because it is a civil penalty rather than a fine — see why legislation.gov.uk shows the wrong fine.
England and Wales
The 2015 Regulations extend to both, so band E and the exemption regime are identical. Enforcement in Wales runs through the local authority as in England, and Welsh landlords also carry Rent Smart Wales duties separately.
Check what applies to your property today. The free compliance check gives the enacted requirements for your address, with the legislation behind each.
Information tool, not legal advice. The band C proposal is described as proposed because that is its status.