MEES Compliance: How to Avoid the £5,000 Fine for a Below-Standard EPC

Q: What is a "sub-standard" property?

A property is sub-standard under MEES if it has an EPC rating of F or G. The minimum acceptable rating is E. This has applied to all new tenancies since April 2018 and to all existing tenancies since April 2020. Important: The rating is based on the current EPC certificate, not the property's actual condition. If your EPC expired and you obtained a new one that came back F or G, that new certificate determines your compliance position.

Q: When can you legally let a sub-standard property?

There is one route: registering an exemption on the PRS Exemptions Register. Valid exemptions include: Third-party consent refused — if improvements require consent (from a leaseholder, superior landlord, or mortgage lender) and that consent is refused, you can register an exemption. Duration: 5 years (SI 2015/962 Part 5). All cost-effective improvements made — if you have made all the improvements that can be made under the relevant "fabric first" standard and the property still falls below E, you can claim a "high cost" exemption. Duration: 5 years. Property devaluation — if a qualified surveyor certifies that the required improvements would devalue the property by 5% or more, you can register an exemption. Duration: 5 years. New landlord — if you recently inherited or took on a tenancy (within the last 6 months), a temporary 6-month exemption applies (verify the current exemption regime at gov.uk before relying on this). Exemptions are registered on the PRS Exemptions Register, maintained by MHCLG. You can access it at gov.uk. You cannot simply not comply and call it "de facto exempt" — the exemption must be formally registered.

Every private landlord in England and Wales must meet the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES). If your rental property has an EPC rating of F or G, you are currently breaking the law if you have an active tenancy — and you could face a fine of up to £5,000.

Here is what the fine is, what triggers it, how enforcement works, and — importantly — how to avoid it.

What is the MEES fine?

MEES fines are set under the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/962), Regulation 40. The maximum penalties are:

Up to £2,000 for letting a sub-standard property for less than 3 months
Up to £4,000 for letting a sub-standard property for 3 months or more
Combined maximum of £5,000 per property

Regulation 40 also provides for a publication penalty — your details can be published publicly by the enforcement authority. In practice this means your name appearing on a public register of non-compliant landlords.

There are separate penalties for registering false or misleading exemption information (up to £1,000) and for failing to comply with a compliance notice (up to £2,000).

Who is the enforcement authority?

MEES enforcement for domestic private rented properties sits with local authority trading standards teams. They have the power to:

Issue compliance notices requiring you to provide information or commission works
Issue penalty notices imposing the financial penalties above
Publish details of penalties on a public register

Enforcement has historically been light-touch, but councils are actively ramping up. The GOV.UK guidance advises tenants how to report non-compliant landlords, and local authorities receive regular prompts to check the EPC register against tenancy data.

What is a "sub-standard" property?

A property is sub-standard under MEES if it has an EPC rating of F or G. The minimum acceptable rating is E.

This has applied to all new tenancies since April 2018 and to all existing tenancies since April 2020.

Important: The rating is based on the current EPC certificate, not the property's actual condition. If your EPC expired and you obtained a new one that came back F or G, that new certificate determines your compliance position.

When can you legally let a sub-standard property?

There is one route: registering an exemption on the PRS Exemptions Register.

Valid exemptions include:

Third-party consent refused — if improvements require consent (from a leaseholder, superior landlord, or mortgage lender) and that consent is refused, you can register an exemption. Duration: 5 years (SI 2015/962 Part 5).
All cost-effective improvements made — if you have made all the improvements that can be made under the relevant "fabric first" standard and the property still falls below E, you can claim a "high cost" exemption. Duration: 5 years.
Property devaluation — if a qualified surveyor certifies that the required improvements would devalue the property by 5% or more, you can register an exemption. Duration: 5 years.
New landlord — if you recently inherited or took on a tenancy (within the last 6 months), a temporary 6-month exemption applies (verify the current exemption regime at gov.uk before relying on this).

Exemptions are registered on the PRS Exemptions Register, maintained by MHCLG. You can access it at gov.uk. You cannot simply not comply and call it "de facto exempt" — the exemption must be formally registered.

How to avoid the MEES fine: a practical checklist

1. Check your current EPC rating

Start with the EPC register at epcregister.com. Every EPC issued since 2008 is on the register — search by postcode. If your property has a current EPC rated E or above and the certificate is not expired, you are compliant.

If the certificate is expired, commission a new one before re-letting.

2. If you have an F or G rating, identify the improvements

EPCs include a recommendations report showing which improvements would improve the rating and what they cost. Common improvements for sub-standard properties (indicative costs — prices vary by property size and contractor):

Cavity wall insulation — typically £1,500–£2,500
Loft insulation — typically £300–£600
Modern condensing boiler — typically £1,500–£3,000
Double glazing (if single glazed) — typically £3,000–£6,000+
Heat pump — typically £8,000–£15,000+

Work through the recommendations report in order. Stop when you either hit E or above, or exhaust the cost-effective improvements.

3. Explore grants

Significant funding is available for energy improvements in the private rented sector:

Great British Insulation Scheme — government-funded insulation for properties with EPC D-G
Boiler Upgrade Scheme — currently £7,500 grant for heat pump installation (verify the current figure at gov.uk/boiler-upgrade-scheme before applying — grant amounts can change)
Local authority grants — some councils operate their own schemes; check with your council's energy team
Landlord schemes — some energy companies offer landlord-specific grants under their Energy Company Obligation (ECO) commitments

Do not commit to paying full cost for works until you have checked grant availability.

4. Commission works and get a new EPC

Once works are complete, commission a new EPC assessment. This is the evidence that the improvement has been made and the property now meets the standard. Keep the invoice for the works alongside the new EPC certificate.

5. Register an exemption if improvement is not possible

If you have exhausted cost-effective improvements and the property still falls below E, or if consent has been refused, register an exemption on the PRS Exemptions Register with supporting evidence. Do not let without an active exemption.

What if you have an F or G rated property and an active tenancy right now?

If you are currently letting a property with an F or G EPC and no registered exemption, you are in breach of MEES today. You should:

Commission works or seek to upgrade the EPC immediately
Consider whether you can register a legitimate exemption
Take professional advice — depending on how long the breach has been running, penalty exposure could be up to £5,000

Tenants can also use the breach as grounds for emergency works claims under the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018, which can require you to carry out repairs to make the property habitable.

The future: EPC C target and 2030

The government's Warm Homes Plan (January 2026) confirmed a single EPC C target: all private rented properties must meet EPC C by 1 October 2030, with a confirmed £30,000 penalty from that date for non-compliance. There is no longer a separate 2028 new-tenancy stage — the two-stage 2028/2030 framing was superseded by the January 2026 policy response. This target has not yet been legislated, but the single 2030 date is the confirmed government position.

If your property currently rates D or lower, planning ahead now is wise — the improvements needed to reach C from D are far less disruptive and expensive than attempting to upgrade from F or G under time pressure before 2030.

See our EPC requirements guide for the full picture on ratings and what the proposed changes mean.

How DueProper will help

DueProper will track your EPC rating and expiry date for every property and send you reminders when certificates are approaching expiry. You will always know which properties are currently compliant and which need attention.

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