EPC C by 2030: what landlords must do

What has been confirmed

The government response to the consultation on privately rented homes was published on 21 January 2026. The main points are:

• One deadline. All tenancies in scope must comply by 1 October 2030. There is no earlier date for new tenancies.
• The standard. The equivalent of EPC C, measured on reformed EPCs. A fabric performance standard comes first. The landlord then chooses to meet either a heating system standard or a smart readiness standard.
• A transition rule. A property graded C or above on today's Energy Efficiency Rating, on an EPC lodged before 1 October 2029, counts as compliant until that EPC expires or is replaced.
• The cost cap. £10,000 per property. Spend on relevant measures installed since 1 October 2025 counts.
• Penalties. Up to £30,000 per property per breach.
• Scope. The same tenancies as today: assured, regulated and domestic agricultural tenancies where an EPC is legally required. Short-term lets are excluded for now.

Until 2030 the current rule stays. You cannot let a property rated F or G unless you have registered a valid exemption.

What is not final yet

This is policy, not yet law. The government says it will seek new powers and aims for secondary legislation to take effect in 2027, subject to Parliament. Three things are still moving:

• The new EPC. Reformed EPCs based on the Home Energy Model were due in October 2026. In March 2026 the government moved the launch to the second half of 2027. The bands for the new metrics are not final. See our guide to EPC reform.
• Exemption detail. The list of exemptions is set out, but evidence rules and some validity periods will be confirmed in regulations.
• VAT. The response compares costs including VAT against the cap for the high-cost exemption, and today's cap includes VAT. We expect the £10,000 cap to include VAT, but check the final regulations.

Which of your properties need work

Start with the EPC register. Look up every property and note three things: the current band, the score, and the lodgement date.

Band C on today's scale is a score of 69 to 80. The gap between your score and 69 is a rough guide to how much work you need. A property scoring 66 is in a very different position to one scoring 41.

How the £10,000 cap works

You must make relevant improvements until the property reaches the standard or until you have spent £10,000 on it. If the next recommended measure would take you over the cap, you can register a cost cap exemption, valid for 10 years.

• The cap is per property, not per landlord.
• Spend on measures installed since 1 October 2025 counts.
• Third-party funding counts towards the cap, except Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants.
• Reasonable EPC assessment costs count. Some specialist retrofit advice costs may count, with amounts to be confirmed.
• Homes valued below £100,000 have a lower cap of 10% of their value.

The government's impact assessment estimates average spend of about £5,400 per property. Your figure depends on the building. See our worked examples of the cap.

Exemptions in the 2030 policy

Exemptions only count once registered on the PRS Exemptions Register. The policy lists:

• Cost cap (new): the cap is reached and the next measure would exceed it. 10 years.
• Property Value Adjustment (new): lower cap for homes worth under £100,000. 10 years.
• High cost: the cheapest recommended measure costs more than the cap.
• All relevant improvements made: nothing more can be done.
• Solid wall insulation (new): you can decline solid wall insulation.
• Negative impacts (new): a measure would harm the building's fabric or structure, or its value. 10 years.
• Third-party consent: a tenant, lender, freeholder or planning authority refuses consent.
• New landlord: a 6-month grace period after you become the landlord.

Other exemptions are typically valid for 5 years unless specified.

Fines and enforcement

Today the maximum MEES penalty is £5,000 per property. The government plans to raise this to £30,000 per property per breach, and landlords can also be fined for false or misleading exemption entries. Councils will use the new Private Rented Sector Database to find lets and compare them against the EPC register. That makes non-compliance much easier to spot than it is today. See our guide to the database.

A sensible planning order

1. List every property with its EPC band, score, lodgement date and expiry date.
2. Fix F and G now. They breach today's rules.
3. Check C-rated EPCs. If an EPC of C was lodged before 1 October 2029 it carries you to its expiry. Note when each expires.
4. Read each EPC's recommendations. They are specific to the building and are the best starting point.
5. Do cheap measures first. Loft top-ups, cavity fill, heating controls, cylinder jackets and LEDs often move a D to a C. See the cheapest route to EPC C.
6. Keep every invoice. Spend since 1 October 2025 counts towards the cap, but only if you can prove it.
7. Time works around voids where you can, to avoid disrupting tenants.
8. Get a post-works EPC once measures are in, so the register reflects the improvement.
9. Register exemptions where the cap or another exemption genuinely applies.

Installer capacity and assessor capacity are likely to tighten closer to 2030. Starting in 2026 or 2027 gives you more choice and better prices.

Questions

Related guides

• The £10,000 EPC cost cap explained, with worked examples
• The cheapest route to EPC C: typical costs and SAP gains
• EPC reform and the Home Energy Model: why a C today may not be enough
• The Private Rented Sector Database: a landlord guide
• Landlord compliance checklist for England, 2026