Government U-turn as Warm Homes Plan sets EPC C deadline for 2030
3 months ago | 34 comments
Council fines landlords £5,000 over poor EPC ratings
12:01 AM, 17th February 2026, 2 months ago
15
Categories:
A council has targeted more than 550 private rented properties rated EPC F or G and issued £5,000 fines.
Wandsworth council says it has contacted more than 150 private landlords whose properties fail to meet energy-efficiency standards.
Under government rules, it is currently illegal to rent out properties rated EPC F or G without a valid exemption.
Improve living conditions for tenants
The council claim they have issued five financial penalties of £5,000 to landlords who failed to comply with EPC standards.
In one case, a landlord in Balham was fined £5,000 after ignoring a compliance notice and failing to register a valid exemption.
In another case, a property in Battersea was initially let with an EPC G rating. Following council intervention, managing agents installed roof insulation. Although the agents argued that certain improvements, such as a new boiler, were the tenant’s responsibility under the regulated tenancy, the council issued a £4,000 penalty for non-compliance, which has since been paid.
A follow-up visit confirmed that insulation had been installed above the main living areas.
Aydin Dikerdem, Wandsworth council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “Our enforcement work is already making a real difference for residents who have been living in cold, inefficient homes for far too long. No one should be renting a property that fails to meet even the basic legal standards for energy efficiency.
“By taking firm action against non‑compliant landlords, we’re not only improving living conditions for tenants but also helping to cut carbon emissions across the borough. This project shows what can be achieved when councils take a proactive, evidence‑led approach, and we will continue to hold landlords to account wherever standards fall short.”
The news comes as the government announced all private rented properties will need to meet EPC C targets by 2030. A government consultation on meeting EPC C targets admits landlords may sell up or increase rents due to EPC rules.
Comments
Have Your Say
Every day, landlords who want to influence policy and share real-world experience add their voice here. Your perspective helps keep the debate balanced.
Not a member yet? Join In Seconds
Login with
or
Previous Article
Tenants spend more than £10,000 on rent as affordability hitsNext Article
Professional landlords still powering BTL borrowingRelated Articles
Energy efficiency improvements slow despite proposed EPC C targets
4 months ago | 4 comments
NRLA warns that landlords can’t afford EPC upgrades
4 months ago | 2 comments
Member Since July 2016 - Comments: 156
10:07 AM, 17th February 2026, About 2 months ago
As a result of the crackdown I suspect there will be a lot of unhappy tenants who now face eviction as their landlord would rather sell than make expensive changes.
Member Since January 2015 - Comments: 1447 - Articles: 1
10:20 AM, 17th February 2026, About 2 months ago
These landlords should know the laws and regulations of this business. I have actually got no sympathy for them.
Member Since March 2022 - Comments: 365
10:29 AM, 17th February 2026, About 2 months ago
Looks like a precedent is being set, a £5,000 fine if your rental property is below par in the EPC stakes. With the new proposed regulations planning to skip over EPC D entirely and make EPC C the minimum Councils must be rubbing their hands together at the prospect of all those £5,000 fines for landlords who only have a D rating (the most common in the UK) and can’t afford thousands to upgrade. Spend £10,000 or be fined £5,000 or sell that is the question.
Member Since January 2024 - Comments: 351
10:39 AM, 17th February 2026, About 2 months ago
Sell.
Landlords are investing/running a business for profit. If upgrading to C or better means they are making less profit than they can with another investment why wouldn’t they sell the BTL and invest elsewhere?
Member Since April 2018 - Comments: 374
1:20 PM, 17th February 2026, About 2 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Ryan Stevens at 17/02/2026 – 10:39
These landlord’s may well issue Section 21 on good tenants who will now be homeless.Well done government and Wandsworth council, will you now be able to house these people.Especially when we read of high tenant satisfaction from the PRS.
Member Since May 2017 - Comments: 765
3:55 PM, 17th February 2026, About 2 months ago
How long does a £5,000 fine exempt you for? It may be cheaper than doing an upgrade!
Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 583
4:18 PM, 17th February 2026, About 2 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Judith Wordsworth at 17/02/2026 – 10:20
“These landlords should know the laws and regulations of this business. I have actually got no sympathy for them.“
.
Do you not have any sympathy for a LL if they bought an EPC F in 2015 for 100K rented it happily to a lovely family for 10 years who made it their home and then now face a 20K bill to get it up to a grade E which they simply cant afford so they have to evict and sell?
.
I have sympathy for LL`s who invest 100K of their hard earnt money into any business only to find that arguably non sensical retrospective legislation then forces them to sell that business and lay off staff or evict tenants
.
If you still have no sympathy for LL`s – Do you perhaps have any sympathy for the poor evicted tenants and their young family now uprooted from their lovely family home of 10 years moved 20 miles out of their home town away from all their familiar support structure into a run down squalid B&B a quarter of the size ?
Member Since April 2018 - Comments: 374
4:27 PM, 17th February 2026, About 2 months ago
Reply to the comment left by JB at 17/02/2026 – 15:55These councils will keep coming back for more fines.I would like to know where these fines are paid to but we will never know the truth.Most likely upgrading council offices, paying off their debts, increased pay and bonuses for staff and especially their CEO.Just another money grabbing exercise at easy targets.
I have every sympathy for those fined because they are offering a service that the government/council can’t and if the tenants are not satisfied they are free to vacate.
Member Since January 2024 - Comments: 351
4:28 PM, 17th February 2026, About 2 months ago
“Our enforcement work is already making a real difference for residents who have been living in cold, inefficient homes for far too long”…….
Take your pick:
1. The homes are now warm, probably still inefficient, and full of condensation and mould. We are pleased to tell you that we are going to fine the landlord again, even though the the mould is due to tenants’ failure to ventilate.
2. The landlord has sold the property, because it would have cost too much to upgrade
We are pleased to tell you that the cold, inefficient home is no longer in the PRS and tenants are safe from having to live in it.
We are told that they are now living in a cold, inefficient tent. They could not afford the cost of renting a warm, efficient home.
Member Since May 2021 - Comments: 392
7:23 PM, 17th February 2026, About 2 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Simon Williams at 17/02/2026 – 10:07
Under the RRA once an improvement order has been issued by the council the LL cannot sell the house for 6 months so they need to move fast.