Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) for Rental Properties

If you’re a landlord in England or Wales, understanding minimum energy efficiency standards is no longer optional—it’s a legal requirement. Since April 2020, letting a property with a poor energy rating can result in significant fines and complications with tenancy management.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know about MEES compliance: which properties are covered, what improvements you might need to make, how to claim exemptions, and what’s coming down the pipeline as the government pushes toward stricter standards.

Quick Overview: What MEES Means for Landlords in 2024–2026

The Domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard Regulations set out the energy efficiency rules that apply to most privately rented homes in England and Wales. In plain terms, these rules exist to ensure rental properties meet a basic standard of energy performance.

Since 1 April 2020, most domestic private rented properties must have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of at least band E before you can let them out. Properties rated F or G cannot be legally let unless you’ve registered a valid exemption on the PRS Exemptions Register.

The government’s direction of travel is clear: by 2030, the target is for private rented homes to reach EPC band C. Consultations running through 2024–2025 are shaping these proposals, and penalties for non-compliance could rise to £30,000 per property.

What landlords need to do right now:

• Check if your property requires an EPC (most rental properties do)
• Confirm your current EPC rating and ensure it’s still valid (within 10 years)
• Carry out energy efficiency improvements if your property is rated F or G
• Register an exemption on the PRS Exemptions Register if you qualify
• Keep documentation of all works, costs and correspondence

Enforcement sits with your local authority, which can issue financial penalties and publication penalties. Non-compliance may also prevent you from serving a valid Section 21 notice to regain possession of your property.

What Is MEES and Why Were the Rules Introduced?

The Domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard Regulations establish the minimum energy efficiency requirements for the private rented sector in England and Wales. These efficiency standards MEES regulations create a legal floor for how energy efficient a rental property must be before it can be lawfully let.

MEES first took effect on 1 April 2018 for new tenancies and renewals. From 1 April 2020, the rules extended to cover existing tenancies as well. This phased approach gave landlords time to assess their portfolios and plan improvements.

The policy aims behind MEES are straightforward:

• Reducing fuel poverty by ensuring tenants live in homes that are cheaper to heat
• Cutting carbon emissions from the UK’s housing stock
• Lowering energy bills for households across the country
• Improving health outcomes by tackling cold, damp living conditions

Historically, the private rented sector contained a disproportionate share of the UK’s worst-performing homes. Pre-2018 data showed that 10-20% of England’s 5.5 million private rental properties were rated F or G—contributing to high energy bills and significant NHS costs from cold-related illnesses.

MEES sits alongside other landlord obligations. Your EPC duties, Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) requirements, and general property standards all still apply. MEES adds to these existing frameworks rather than replacing them.

Is Your Rental Property Covered by MEES?

MEES applies to most domestic private rented properties that legally require a valid energy performance certificate. Understanding whether your property falls within scope is the first step toward compliance.

Your property is likely covered if:

• It’s located in England or Wales
• It’s let on an assured shorthold tenancy, regulated tenancy, or domestic agricultural tenancy
• It has legally required an EPC at some point in the last 10 years (for sale, rent, or major modifications)
• The current valid EPC shows a rating of F or G

Properties that may be outside MEES scope:

• Certain listed buildings where an EPC is not legally required
• Very short-term lets (under 6 months with no renewal rights)
• Some social housing arrangements
• Long leases exceeding 99 years
• Properties where no EPC has ever been legally required

If your property doesn’t require an EPC, the MEES rules don’t currently apply—though other housing health and safety standards still do. Keep in mind that most properties covered by the regulations will need attention if they’re sitting at F or G.

Step-by-Step: Questions to Confirm If MEES Applies

Walking through a few key questions will help you determine whether your property falls under MEES:

1. What type of tenancy is in place? If your property is let under an assured tenancy, assured shorthold tenancy, regulated tenancy, or domestic agricultural tenancy, you’re likely within scope.

2. Where is the property located? MEES applies to properties in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own energy efficiency frameworks.

3. Does the property require an EPC? If you’ve marketed the property for sale or rent in the last 10 years, or carried out major modifications, you almost certainly needed an EPC. Check whether one was produced.

4. Is the EPC still valid? EPCs last for 10 years. If yours has expired, you’ll need a new assessment before letting or re-letting the property.

5. What rating does the EPC show? If your property’s EPC rating is F or G, you must either improve it to at least band E or register a valid exemption before letting.

If you’ve answered “yes” to all relevant questions, you must not let or continue to let the property below EPC E without a registered exemption. Even if MEES doesn’t technically apply to your situation, voluntarily improving energy efficiency makes sense for future-proofing and tenant satisfaction.

When You Must Upgrade a Property to EPC Band E

Since 1 April 2020, it has been unlawful to let or continue to let a covered domestic private rented property with an EPC rating of F or G, unless a valid exemption is recorded on the PRS Exemptions Register.

The timeline works as follows:

Date	Requirement
1 April 2018	New tenancies and renewals must meet minimum E rating
1 April 2020	Existing tenancies must also meet minimum E rating
Ongoing	All covered lettings require EPC E or registered exemption

For new tenancies and renewals: Before granting a new tenancy or renewing an existing one, you must ensure the property reaches at least band E. This applies regardless of how long the property has been in your portfolio.

For existing tenancies: Even if you haven’t changed tenants since 2018, the property remains subject to MEES. Continuing to let an F or G rated property without an exemption is a breach.

For vacant properties: If the property is currently empty and not being marketed to let, MEES doesn’t require immediate action. However, improvement is strongly recommended before you start marketing again.

When improvements aren’t enough: If you’ve completed all relevant energy efficiency improvements up to the cost cap and the rating still shows F or G, you may register an “all improvements made” exemption. This allows lawful letting despite the sub-E rating.

Funding Improvements and Understanding the £3,500 (Incl. VAT) Cost Cap

One of the most important aspects of MEES is the spending cap. Landlords are not required to spend unlimited amounts on energy efficiency improvements—the regulations set a cost cap of £3,500 including VAT per property for relevant energy efficiency measures.

If bringing your property from F or G to E would cost more than £3,500, you must still spend up to the cap on eligible measures. If the EPC remains below E after making energy efficiency improvements within the cap, you can register an exemption.

Key points about the cost cap:

• The cap applies per property, not per improvement measure
• VAT is included in the £3,500 limit
• Qualifying improvement costs incurred on or after 1 October 2017 can count toward the cap
• Keep all invoices and receipts as evidence

There are three main routes to funding improvements:

1. Third-party funding (grants, schemes, energy company obligations)
2. Combination funding (mixing grants with your own contribution)
3. Self-funding (paying the full cost yourself)

Before reaching for your own funds, check what government schemes, local authority programmes, and energy supplier initiatives might be available. These can significantly reduce or even eliminate your personal outlay.

Third-Party Funding

Third party funding, where available, can cover part or all of the works needed to reach EPC E or better—without you spending your own money.

Typical sources include:

• National grant schemes for energy efficiency
• Local authority-backed retrofit programmes
• Energy Company Obligation (ECO) funding improvements
• Supplier-led initiatives targeting low-income households or poor-performing housing stock

If party funding fully covers all relevant improvements, you don’t need to contribute personally. Once works are completed and a new EPC confirms the improved rating, your MEES obligations are met.

Where grants provide partial coverage, their value still counts toward the £3,500 cost cap. This matters when calculating whether you’ve exhausted all “relevant improvements” and might qualify for an exemption.

The principle is straightforward: exhaust available external support before using your own funding. This preserves capital while achieving compliance.

Combination Funding and Self-Funding

Many landlords will need to combine third-party funding with their own contribution to reach the required standard.

When combining funding sources:

• Track the total spent including grants to ensure you don’t exceed the £3,500 cap unnecessarily
• Prioritise the most cost-effective measures first
• Focus on improvements that deliver the biggest EPC uplift for the money

Typical cost-effective measures include:

Measure	Typical Cost	Potential Annual Savings
Loft insulation	£300–£500	£100–£200
Cavity wall insulation	£500–£1,500	£200+
Draught proofing	£80–£120	£18–£50
Low-energy lighting	£20–£50	£20+
Heating controls	£150–£400	£50–£100

If no external funding is available, you may have to self-fund improvements up to the cap. The good news is that many properties can move from F or G to E with relatively modest investment.

Record-keeping is essential. Keep evidence of:

• Written quotes from installers
• Invoices for completed works
• Funding agreements and grant confirmations
• Before and after EPC certificates

This documentation protects you if you need to rely on an exemption or respond to enforcement action from your local authority.

Choosing and Installing Energy Efficiency Measures

The starting point for selecting upgrades is your property’s current EPC, which includes a recommendations report. This report ranks suggested energy efficiency measures by impact and approximate cost.

MEES refers to “relevant energy efficiency improvements”—measures that are:

• Recommended for the property on the EPC or equivalent report
• Technically suitable for installation
• Can be installed within the cost cap

Approach to prioritising works:

1. Work down the EPC recommendation list in order of cost-effectiveness
2. Recognise that improvements are cumulative—several smaller measures often outperform one expensive project
3. Focus on quick wins that deliver measurable EPC band improvements

Common improvement measures include:

• Loft insulation – often the cheapest and most effective starting point
• Cavity wall insulation – significant impact where technically feasible
• Draught-proofing – low cost with immediate comfort benefits
• Upgraded heating system or controls – particularly replacing old boilers
• Low-energy lighting – simple and inexpensive
• Solid wall insulation – more expensive but high impact for hard-to-treat homes

Always use accredited installers for any works. Once improvements are complete, obtain an updated EPC to prove compliance and demonstrate the new rating to tenants and enforcement authorities.

Using EPC Recommendations and Other Reports

Beyond the standard EPC, you may have access to Green Deal Advice Reports or similar surveys that identify energy-saving opportunities specific to your property.

For MEES purposes, prioritise measures that the EPC or recognised equivalent reports identify as suitable. These are the “relevant improvements” that count toward meeting your obligations.

Example progression: A property rated G might have recommendations for loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, and a new boiler. Installing loft insulation first might move it to F. Adding cavity wall insulation could push it to E. At that point, you’ve met the minimum EPC rating requirement without necessarily completing every recommended measure.

If all recommended energy efficiency improvements costing £3,500 or less have been installed but the EPC remains F or G, you can apply for an “all relevant improvements made” exemption.

The key is understanding that only relevant improvements count—non-EPC-listed upgrades won’t qualify for exemptions even if they improve comfort or reduce bills.

MEES Exemptions and How to Register Them

Exemptions don’t remove MEES obligations—they allow landlords, in limited and evidenced circumstances, to let a sub-E property lawfully for a defined period.

Key exemption principles:

• Exemptions must be recorded on the PRS Exemptions Register before or while the property is let
• Most exemptions last for up to 5 years (the new landlord exemption lasts 6 months)
• Exemptions are landlord-specific and property-specific
• If the property is sold, the new owner must re-register any exemption if they still qualify

Main exemption categories:

Exemption Type	Duration	Key Requirement
All relevant improvements made	5 years	All cost-cap measures installed, still F/G
High cost exemption	5 years	Cheapest measure exceeds £3,500
Wall insulation exemption	5 years	Independent expert confirms structural risk
Third-party consent refused	5 years	Documented refusal from tenant/freeholder/etc.
Property devaluation exemption	5 years	Surveyor confirms >5% value reduction
Temporary exemption (new landlord)	6 months	Recent acquisition in specified circumstances

Each exemption requires supporting evidence: EPCs, installer quotes, surveyor reports, or correspondence with planning departments and tenants. Without proper documentation, your exemption applies won’t be valid.

All Relevant Improvements Made and High-Cost Exemptions

The “all relevant improvements made” exemption applies where you’ve installed every recommended and suitable energy efficiency measure up to the £3,500 cost cap, but the property’s EPC rating remains F or G.

To register this exemption, you’ll typically need:

• The current EPC showing the F or G rating
• Evidence of all works carried out (invoices, installer certificates)
• Documentation showing costs fell within the spending cap

The “high cost exemption” applies where the cheapest single relevant improvement identified would itself cost more than £3,500. In this situation, no qualifying measure can be carried out within the cap.

Evidence requirements include:

• The current EPC with recommendations
• At least three written quotations from qualified installers confirming costs exceed £3,500

Both exemptions normally last 5 years, after which you must reassess the property. If circumstances haven’t changed, you may re-register. If new, cheaper measures have become available, you’ll need to implement them.

Wall Insulation Exemption

This exemption applies specifically where the only relevant improvements identified are wall insulation measures—whether solid wall, cavity wall, or external wall insulation.

Requirements:

• Obtain written advice from an independent expert (chartered surveyor or structural engineer)
• The expert must confirm that installing wall insulation would have a negative impact on the building’s structure or fabric
• The recommended wall insulation measure cannot be safely undertaken

With this evidence, you can register an exemption for 5 years. After that period, fresh professional advice is required if the situation remains unchanged.

Important: This exemption only covers wall insulation. Other recommended measures (like loft insulation or heating upgrades) must still be considered and implemented where feasible. The exemption doesn’t provide blanket coverage for avoiding all improvement measures.

Third-Party Consent and Property Devaluation Exemptions

The third-party consent exemption applies where you need consent from another party to carry out works, and that consent is refused or granted only on unreasonable conditions.

Relevant third parties might include:

• Tenants (for works requiring access)
• Superior landlords or freeholders
• Mortgage lenders
• The planning department (for listed buildings or conservation areas)

You must demonstrate genuine, documented efforts to obtain consent. Keep copies of all letters, emails, and formal refusals. The exemption applies where refusal or unreasonable conditions make the improvement impractical.

The property devaluation exemption is available where a qualified independent surveyor confirms in writing that carrying out recommended works would reduce the property’s market value by more than 5%.

Both exemptions typically run for up to 5 years, subject to review if circumstances change—for example, if consent is later granted or market conditions shift.

Temporary Exemption for New Landlords and How to Register

A temporary 6-month exemption can apply where someone has recently become a landlord in specific circumstances:

• Inheritance of a property with existing tenants
• Relationship breakdown where one party retains the rental property
• Certain repossession scenarios

This short-term exemption provides breathing space to assess the EPC, plan works, or arrange finance. It’s not designed to avoid compliance indefinitely.

Registration process:

1. Create an account on the PRS Exemptions Register
2. Enter property details (address, EPC reference)
3. Select the appropriate exemption type
4. Upload supporting evidence (EPC copy, relevant documentation)
5. Submit the registration

Exemptions take effect immediately upon successful registration. However, they cannot be edited later—if circumstances change, you should cancel the exemption and update details as appropriate.

For landlords who struggle with online registration, assisted digital support or telephone guidance may be available through government channels.

Enforcement, Penalties and Appeals

Your local authority (typically the council’s housing or environmental health team) is responsible for enforcing MEES in the private rented sector.

How enforcement typically works:

1. Intelligence checks identify potentially non-compliant properties
2. Officers may issue a compliance notice requesting documents
3. Required information includes EPCs, tenancy agreements, exemption registrations, and evidence of works
4. Investigation determines whether a breach has occurred
5. If breach confirmed, financial penalties and publication penalties may follow

Current penalty levels:

Breach Type	Maximum Penalty
Letting a sub-E property (up to 3 months)	£2,000
Letting a sub-E property (3+ months)	£4,000
Providing false or misleading information	£1,000
Failure to comply with compliance notice	£2,000
Total maximum per property	£5,000

Government proposals linked to raising standards to EPC C could increase maximum penalties to £30,000 in the coming years.

Beyond fines, non-compliance can affect your ability to serve a valid Section 21 notice. If your property remains non-compliant, you may be unable to regain possession through the standard no-fault eviction route until issues are rectified.

Compliance Notices, Penalties and Right of Appeal

Compliance notices: Local authorities may issue a compliance notice where they suspect a breach. This notice requires you to provide specified information within a set period—typically 28 days. Failure to respond can itself lead to a penalty notice.

Penalty notices: After investigation, if the authority concludes there’s been a breach, a penalty notice can be served. This sets out:

• The nature of the breach
• The level of fine
• Any publication penalty (public disclosure of non-compliance)

Authorities can issue penalty notices up to 18 months after the alleged breach. Publication of landlord details for non-compliance can last up to 12 months.

Your right of appeal:

1. Request a review by the issuing authority within 28 days
2. If still dissatisfied after review, appeal to the First-tier Tribunal
3. The Tribunal can confirm, vary, or cancel the penalty

The importance of record-keeping cannot be overstated. Well-organised documentation of EPCs, works, spending, and exemptions provides your defence against alleged breaches.

Future Changes: Towards EPC Band C and Beyond

Government policy is evolving, and landlords who plan ahead will be better positioned when proposed changes take effect.

Key developments to watch:

• Consultations running from late 2024 through 2025 propose raising the minimum standard from EPC E to EPC C by 2030
• New tenancies may need to meet EPC C by around 2028, with existing tenancies following by 2030
• The government is reviewing EPC assessment methodology—consultations on Energy Performance of Buildings reforms ran until February 2025
• Future changes may affect how ratings are calculated and could increase assessment costs

Financial implications: Reaching a C rating from current F or G levels could cost an estimated £6,000–£7,000 per property for many homes. Higher fines for non-compliance would make ignoring these requirements even more costly.

Timeline	Likely Requirement
2024–2025	Current EPC E minimum continues
~2028	New tenancies may require EPC C
2030	All tenancies likely to require EPC C

What you can do now:

• Prioritise cost-effective measures that move properties toward C, not just E
• Keep EPCs up to date and understand your portfolio’s current performance
• Monitor official updates from government and industry bodies
• Budget for future works using current upgrade costs as a guide
• Consider fabric-first improvements (insulation) before electrification

Improving energy efficiency early delivers benefits beyond compliance. Better-rated properties attract tenants, command higher rents, reduce void periods, and lower energy bills for occupants. With climate change driving policy and 85% of rentals now at E or above, the direction is clear—and acting ahead of deadlines protects both your investment and your tenants’ wellbeing.

Key Takeaways

• Since April 2020, covered domestic properties must reach minimum EPC E or have a registered exemption
• The £3,500 cost cap limits required landlord spending, with exemptions available when improvements don’t achieve E
• Third-party funding should be explored before self-funding improvements
• Exemptions require proper evidence and registration on the PRS Exemptions Register
• Local authorities enforce MEES with penalties up to £5,000 (rising potentially to £30,000)
• EPC C is coming by 2030—planning now avoids rushed, expensive upgrades later

Your next step: Check your property’s current EPC rating today. If it’s F or G, start exploring your improvement options or exemption eligibility before your next tenancy renewal.