Landlords face financial barriers to EPC upgrades
1 month ago | 12 comments
Landlords face fines of up to £30,000 under tougher EPC enforcement plans
12:10 AM, 6th November 2026, 3 days ago
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The government has proposed fines of more than £30,000 for rogue landlords who fail to meet EPC standards, as it confirms the date for the EPC C deadline.
The Energy Independence Bill will give councils stronger enforcement powers to crack down on landlords who fail to comply with EPC requirements.
The government has also confirmed that the deadline for all PRS properties to meet EPC C standards will be 1 October 2030.
Save tenants money
The government claims that upgrading all PRS properties to EPC C could help tenants in improved rental homes save around £210 a year on energy bills by 2030.
Local authorities will also receive tougher enforcement powers to crack down on landlords failing to improve non-compliant properties.
The maximum civil penalty for landlords breaching the regulations has increased to £30,000, alongside an updated maximum required investment of £10,000 per property.
The maximum civil penalty for landlords who breach the regulations will be £30,000. However, it is not yet clear whether this will apply as a single maximum fine or £30,000 per property, per breach.
In January 2026, the government proposed a penalty of up to £30,000 per property, per breach of the regulations. The final approach will need to be clarified as the bill progresses through Parliament.
Encourage landlord compliance
In the government’s guidance on Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards enforcement, it says the £30,000 fine is intended to encourage landlord compliance and drive improvements across the private rented sector.
The guidance said: “The overall strategic objective of this measure is to ensure local authorities have the necessary powers and actions available to ensure non-compliant properties are improved.
“This measure will contribute to improving the private rented sector for tenants by improving the quality of properties across the sector, delivering warmer, cheaper to heat homes. This is vital to ensuring a reduction in the number of fuel-poor households and vulnerable tenants being left in cold energy inefficient homes.
“Increasing the energy efficiency of privately rented properties will improve energy security and reduce reliance on imported energy for heating homes.
“The measure will introduce a new maximum civil penalty of £30,000 for landlords found to be in breach of the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015. This will ensure that more privately rented properties are required to meet the minimum standard as set out by the regulations.”
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Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 829 - Articles: 1
2:56 AM, 8th November 2026, About 15 hours ago
Reply to the comment left by EPC Truth at 06/11/2026 – 22:09
yes v basic – Epc for idiots. and one of the the presenters was hard to understand.
Member Since June 2013 - Comments: 829 - Articles: 1
2:59 AM, 8th November 2026, About 15 hours ago
Reply to the comment left by Judith Wordsworth at 07/11/2026 – 00:28
its in their constitution (articles of association).
Member Since May 2014 - Comments: 121
8:21 AM, 8th November 2026, About 10 hours ago
The tories scrapped the EPC targets when they realised they wouldn’t work. Unless laws are passed soon there’s got to be a chance that’ll happen again if there’s a change in government first?
Member Since May 2021 - Comments: 423
10:43 AM, 8th November 2026, About 7 hours ago
Reply to the comment left by Neil P at 08/11/2026 – 08:21
At least the Tories realized the error of their ways but I’m not so sure liebor will , they’ll take it as far as possible to get their own way .
Member Since February 2019 - Comments: 20
11:55 AM, 8th November 2026, About 6 hours ago
I had a good chat to with a friend yesterday, who is
heavily involved with the implementation of the new EPC scheme for the Government. .
This is where they are at the moment:
If you have a “c” prior to 2030 it carries on for 10 years – then you have to upgrade.
The recomendation is that it is going to be a lot cheaper to get to “c” now rather than latter. – they are looking at solar and heat pumps to get to a “c”.
There will be no grants, as all the grant money had been directed to companies producing military equipment.
At least we now have a bit of thinking time.
But I can’t see the economic case for spending £000 to save my tenants a couple of £00 and then possibly have a fight on my hands to get tenants out if they stop paying the rent costing £000 again. The risk profile is just way to high.
I think I am going to sell up and buy a hotel for the homeless……because I think that is going to be the growth sector post 2030!
Member Since May 2024 - Comments: 176
12:29 PM, 8th November 2026, About 5 hours ago
Great government plan to get 20% of housing to EPC C but if ALL properties were at least an E perhaps that would be even better. We can’t have that of course because homeowners would feel victimized. The big state telling them what to do with their own property. Being expected to pay for windows and insulation when they might not have savings for. Good job that doing this to the PRS is a victimless enterprise because landlords are all very very rich (and evil)…
Member Since May 2021 - Comments: 423
1:41 PM, 8th November 2026, About 4 hours ago
Reply to the comment left by Dave at 08/11/2026 – 11:55
Totally agree unless Reform get in and scrap the lot. My EPC is C since 2021 and it’s been a very economical bungalow in the family since it was built in 1967 and now my tenant enjoys it. All of a sudden in 2031 it doesn’t reach the ridiculously high bar being set by these idiots in charge even though the tenant is perfectly happy. I’ll be selling up as I’m not spending thousands when it simply isn’t necessary. If it was good enough for my family for 54 years to live in it’s good enough now. A lot of 5star hotels wouldn’t reach the requirements of this senseless government and we don’t all have deep pockets like they think we do.
Member Since September 2026 - Comments: 10
4:18 PM, 8th November 2026, About 2 hours ago
Reply to the comment left by Dave at 08/11/2026 – 11:55
“If you have a “c” prior to 2030 it carries on for 10 years – then you have to upgrade.” – Well, if you obtain a C using the EER metric before 1st Oct 2029 then it is deemed to comply with the minimum standard until that EPC expires or is replaced. The EER metric will no longer be available from 1st Oct 2029. After the ’10 years’, you need to meet the minimum standard using the new metrics instead. Whether you need any ‘upgrades’ will heavily depend on the particular property.
“The recomendation is that it is going to be a lot cheaper to get to “c” now rather than latter. – they are looking at solar and heat pumps to get to a “c”.” – What you need to do depends significantly on the particular property. I would disagree with a generalised statement like this. For example our family has two flats with mid-D EER ratings. They have modern storage heaters and filled cavity walls. To get them to a ‘C’ currently would probably need an investment of £2,500 each. I’m confident however that they will pass the new MEES minimum standard from 2030 without any further work at all. I think we will find out very soon.