Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards
(M.E.E.S)
Whats is all about
The Government launched a public consultation on proposals to amend the PRS Regulations to raise MEES, which ran from October 2019 until January 2020. The Government’s preferred option was to require all non-domestic rented properties to meet a minimum EPC grade B requirement by 2030.
Government Proposals
To deliver net zero, and for the UK to meet its Carbon Budgets, it is vital that these investments are undertaken. The PRS Regulations must be implemented effectively. That is why the following proposals focus explicitly on how the PRS Regulations can be adjusted to ensure they are better aligned with how the industry and local authorities operate in reality, and can be effective at scale.
The proposals are the product of extensive conversations with the sector and the detailed responses received to the 2019 consultation.
Hows it going to happen?
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Phased implementation of the EPC Grade B by 2030 requirement, with EPC grade C by 2027 set as an interim milestone
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The introduction of two-year ‘compliance windows’. The ‘compliance window’ will begin with the requirement for landlords to present a valid EPC. For EPC grade C, Government proposes the compliance window should be 2025-2027, and for EPC grade B 2028-2030
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A move away from enforcement at the point of let
After 2023, the Government proposes that there should only be four junctures where landlords are expected to comply, and where enforcement activity is required:
At each enforcement date in 2027 and 2030, landlords will need to demonstrate the building has reached the highest EPC band that a cost-effective package of measures can deliver.
First Compliance Window: EPC grade C (2025-2027)
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1 April 2025: Landlords of all non-domestic rented buildings in scope of MEES must present a valid EPC.
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1 April 2027: All non-domestic rented buildings must have improved the building to an EPC ≥ C, or register a valid exemption.