Landlords of residential properties have become familiar with the requirement to provide their tenants with an Energy Performance Certificate of band E or better before letting or continuing to let a residential property in order to comply with the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES).  It had been anticipated following government consultation that the MEES requirements for residential properties would be tightened to Band C or above from April 2025 for new lettings and April 2028 for existing residential tenancies.  

Whilst many had anticipated a delay in implementing the proposed change, it was a surprise to most when the government announced in September that the MEES requirements for residential properties will now remain at B and E.  Whilst this may come as a relief to landlords faced with the increased costs associated with improving an EPC rating or claiming and registering an exemption, many residential landlords will have already started the process of reviewing and upgrading their properties.   

There is no indication that the MEES requirements for commercial properties will benefit from a similar change of policy and, at present, the government remains on track to increase the MEES requirement for commercial properties to Band B or above by 2030 with Band C by 2027 as an interim standard.

Want to know more? 

In our Autumn/Winter edition of Property Insights our team of experts shine a spotlight on new legal developments and offer some insights on issues that are currently shaping the property market. In this edition we look at what the King’s speech outlined in the areas of enfranchisement and residential development, new legislation aimed at ‘levelling up’ and ‘breathing new life into business and the regions across the UK’, the current state of play with Energy Performance Certificates (EPC), how the Autumn statement brought support for entrepreneurs, updates on the Building Safety Act and finally, the factors that are propelling the surge in private debt within the UK’s real estate sector. Access the bulletin here.