The minimum EPC rating for a rental property
Band E is the legal floor for a private tenancy today, and band C has been consulted on for the end of the decade. The gap between those two letters is where every landlord decision for the next five years sits.
Two lines that matter
- E
In force today
No new or continuing private tenancy below it without an exemption
- C
Proposed, not law
Consulted on for the end of the decade, with a higher cost cap
49.7% of certified homes in England and Wales are below band C today — owned and rented alike.
Minimum band for a private tenancy
E
In force since 2018 for new tenancies, 2020 for all of them
Certified homes below band E
2.8%
558,830 homes, every tenure
Below band C
49.7%
The line the consultation proposed, every tenure
Certificates recording a private tenancy
22.2%
Of those that record tenure; 22.5% do not say
EPC register, England and Wales, certificates to 9 September 2026, each home counted once from its latest certificate. The register's summary counts tenure and band separately and never crossed, so the share of privately rented homes below a band is not countable from it — and no figure on this page claims to be that.
The standard
What the minimum energy efficiency standard actually requires
It is a letting restriction rather than a building requirement. Nothing forces a landlord to improve a property — what the regulations do is stop it being let while it is below the line, unless a valid exemption is registered.
Where the certified stock sits
Homes in England and Wales with a certificate, by band. Every tenure together.
- A0.4%
- B15.1%
- C33%
- D37.1%
- E11.8%
- F2.1%
- G0.6%
Rented homes are not separated here because the register's summary does not cross tenure with band. The shape of the rented stock differs from this, and by how much is not something we can count.
What it applies to
- Domestic private rented property in England and Wales
- Tenancies that require an EPC — most assured and regulated tenancies
- Both new lettings and tenancies already running
- Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own rules, which are not the same as this
Letting below the line
Letting a property below band E without a registered exemption is an offence enforced by the local authority, with penalties set in the regulations and a compliance notice that can reach back eighteen months. The register is public, so the evidence is already sitting where the enforcement officer can see it.
How far off
A band C requirement is a small job for some homes and a project for others
Band C starts at 69 SAP points. The register records every certified home's score, so the distance to that line is countable — and it is not one number. It is a long tail.
Points short of band C
Homes in England and Wales below 69, by how far below.
- 1–5 points33.6% of those below C3,390,868
- 6–10 points24.5% of those below C2,474,731
- 11–15 points16.4% of those below C1,659,463
- 16–20 points9.2% of those below C927,900
- Over 20 points16.3% of those below C1,648,875
Every tenure together. The point of the chart is the shape: a large group within reach of a single measure, and a tail where the walls decide the answer.
The tail is the policy problem
A home twenty points short of band C is a solid-walled one, and solid wall insulation is the most expensive measure in the method by a distance. That is why every version of the proposal has come with a cost cap, and why the level of that cap matters more to a landlord than the band in the headline.
Check the certificate's age
A certificate is valid for ten years and describes the property on the day it was assessed. Work done since then does not appear until someone pays for a new assessment — which is the cheapest thing a landlord with an old certificate and a since-insulated loft can do.
The cost cap
What the work costs, by the method's own reckoning
Both the current standard and the proposed one come with a cap on what a landlord can be required to spend. Whether a cap is generous depends entirely on what the measures cost, and the EPC method publishes its own figure for each.
| Measure | The method's cost | How far the method's range stretches | Recommendations behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loft insulation | £900–£1,200 | £900–£1,200 | |
| Cavity wall insulation | £900–£1,500 | £900–£1,500 | |
| Heating controls | £220–£250 | £220–£250 | |
| Low energy lighting | £210–£245 | £60–£350 | |
| Double glazing | £4,500–£6,000 | £4,500–£6,000 | |
| Condensing boiler | £2,200–£3,500 | £2,200–£10,000 | |
| Solid wall insulation | £7,500–£11,000 | £7,500–£11,000 | |
| Solar panels | £8,000–£10,000 | £8,000–£10,000 |
These are the EPC method's indicative figures, taken from certificates lodged in the year to 9 September 2026: the same range for every home in the country, and not quotes. A real quote for a rented flat in London and one for a terrace in Hull will differ by more than the spread in either column. We publish the method's figure because it is the one the regulations' own cost cap is implicitly written against.
Exemptions
Every exemption has to be registered, and most of them expire
An exemption is not something a property has — it is something a landlord claims, on a public register, with evidence, for a fixed period. An unregistered exemption is not an exemption.
Where this page's answers come from
- EPC Register — every certificate lodged in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Scottish EPC Register — the equivalent north of the border
- RdSAP — the reduced assessment procedure that produces the score
- English Housing Survey and the Scottish and Welsh equivalents — stock by age and type
- DESNZ — minimum energy efficiency standard consultations
Last checked against these sources on 17 September 2026.
All relevant improvements made
Everything that can be done within the cost cap has been done and the property is still below the band. This is the exemption most solid-walled properties end up on.
High cost
No relevant improvement can be made within the cap. It is the cap that does the work here, not the band, which is why the proposed level of it matters so much.
Wall insulation would damage the property
Backed by written expert advice that cavity or solid wall insulation would have a negative effect on the fabric or structure. Common in older and traditionally built stock.
Third-party consent refused
A tenant, freeholder, lender or planning authority withheld consent for the work. The refusal has to be evidenced, not asserted.
Property devaluation
An independent surveyor's report that the measures would reduce the market value by more than the threshold in the regulations.
Recently become a landlord
A temporary exemption for someone who has just become a landlord in defined circumstances, giving time to bring the property up to standard.
The dates
What is law, and what is still a consultation
The band C proposals have moved more than once and are not in force. A landlord planning around them is planning around a proposal, which is worth saying out loud on a page like this.
1 April 2018
In forceBand E minimum for new tenancies
Private landlords could no longer grant a new tenancy on a property rated F or G without registering an exemption.
1 April 2020
In forceBand E minimum for all tenancies
Extended to existing tenancies, with a cost cap on the work a landlord can be required to fund.
15 May 2025
In forceBoiler Upgrade Scheme insulation test
The grant turns on your certificate's recommendations, so an EPC with outstanding loft or cavity advice can block a heat pump claim.
1 April 2028
ProposedBand C proposed for new tenancies
Consulted on rather than legislated. If it lands, roughly half the private rented stock needs work, and the queue for installers starts well before the date.
1 April 2030
ProposedBand C proposed for all tenancies
The full extension, with a higher cost cap. Landlords with solid-walled stock are the ones facing a real bill rather than a paperwork exercise.
Dates and statuses last checked on 17 September 2026. Scotland and Northern Ireland set their own standards for rented housing on their own timetables, and neither follows the England and Wales dates above.
Questions
Common questions from landlords
What is the minimum EPC rating for a rental property?
Band E, for domestic private rented property in England and Wales. It has applied to new tenancies since April 2018 and to all tenancies since April 2020. Below that the property cannot be let unless a valid exemption is registered on the PRS Exemptions Register.
Is band C a requirement for landlords?
Not yet. Band C for private rented homes has been consulted on rather than legislated, and the proposed dates have moved. Anything you read that states it as settled law is ahead of the regulations. Planning for it is reasonable; assuming it is in force is not.
How many rented homes are below band C?
We cannot tell you honestly, and the number is widely quoted as though it were countable. The EPC register's published summary counts tenure and band separately and never crossed, so the rented share below a band is not in it. What is countable is that 49.7% of all certified homes in England and Wales are below band C, across every tenure.
What is the cost cap?
A limit on what a landlord can be required to spend before claiming an exemption. The current standard has one and every version of the band C proposal has come with a higher one. The level of the cap decides how many properties end up on an all-relevant-improvements exemption rather than being improved — which makes it the number to watch, not the band.
Can I let a property below band E?
Only with a valid exemption registered before the tenancy. 2.8% of certified homes in England and Wales are still below band E, and enforcement sits with the local authority, which can serve a compliance notice reaching back eighteen months and impose the penalties set in the regulations.
Does this apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
No. The minimum energy efficiency standard described here is the England and Wales regime. Scotland and Northern Ireland set their own requirements for rented housing, on their own timetables, and they do not track the dates on this page.
How to move a property up a band is on the improvement page, what the bands mean is on the EPC guide, and the schemes that pay towards the work are on the grants hub — several of which are open to landlords as well as owner-occupiers.
Check a property's current certificate
We'll pull the rating on the register for an address, when it was lodged and which recommendations are still outstanding.