The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards Regulations 2018

The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards Regulations 2018 (MIEES)

The MIEES Regs 2018 prevent landlords or agents from letting out properties which have an EPC rating below E and Trading Standards can issue notices of up to £5,000 if this is breached. It is also an offence for landlords not to commission an EPC when one is required.

EPCs are publicly available using this link - Find an energy certificate - GOV.UK. You can search by address and the site will inform you if there is an EPC, what the rating is, whether it has expired and what features were noted in the property during the assessment – see an example below from a property which has an expired rating of F:

If you are dealing with a property and have any concerns regarding the energy efficiency (heating, windows, insulation etc) then please carry out a search of the EPC register and if the property is noted to have an EPC rating lower than an E then refer this property to your Private Sector Housing Service.

Please note that there is an exemptions register which landlords are able to apply to if they believe the property cannot be improved for one of the prescribed reasons -

https://prsregister.beis.gov.uk/NdsBeisUi/register-search-exemptions.

If the property has an exemption it will be recorded twice – on the EPC register as a F or G and on the exemption register.