Planned, not law
The government has announced it, but it isn’t law yet and could change.
For: Private landlords in England (the plan also covers Wales)
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What's changing
Nothing has changed in the law yet. This is a government plan: it has been announced, but it is not law.
The government plans to raise the minimum energy rating for privately rented homes from E to C. The official name for this is the minimum energy efficiency standard, or MEES. The government set out the plan in its Warm Homes Plan on 21 January 2026, and in its response to a public consultation on the same day.
Under the plan, every home you let would need a rating of C by 1 October 2030, unless it has a registered exemption. You would not have to spend more than £10,000 on any one home. For a home worth less than £100,000, the limit would be lower: a tenth of what the home is worth.
The plan rewards acting early. Money you spend from 1 October 2025 on improvements recommended on your energy certificate, or by a suitable expert, would count towards the £10,000. Two things would not count: grants from the government's Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and new heating that runs on gas, oil or another fossil fuel.
If your home gets a C on its energy certificate before 1 October 2029, it would count as meeting the new standard until that certificate runs out, or until a newer certificate replaces it. If you spend up to the limit and the home is still below C, you could register an exemption lasting 10 years.
The government also plans to raise the top fine to £30,000 for each home, for each breach. That is a plan too, not the law.
The energy certificate is changing as well
Unless your home already has a C on its current certificate before 1 October 2029, the C would be measured on a new style of energy certificate. Its official name is the Energy Performance Certificate, or EPC. The new certificate gives several scores instead of one. Under the plan, your home would first need a C for how well it holds its heat. It would then need a C for one more thing, and you choose which: the heating system, or how ready the home is for smart technology such as solar panels. Exactly what a C will mean on the new certificate has not been confirmed yet.
If your home doesn't have a C before 1 October 2029, you would need one of the new certificates before you start any work. Once the work is done, you would need another one to show the home meets the standard, before 1 October 2030. The reasonable cost of these certificates would count towards the £10,000.
What the law says today
Today, a home you let must have an energy rating of E or better, unless you have registered an exemption (Energy Efficiency Regulations 2015, regs 22 and 23).
You don't have to spend more than £3,500, including VAT, to reach E. Money you have spent on improvements since 1 October 2017 counts towards that (Energy Efficiency Regulations 2015, reg 24). If the home still can't reach E, you can register an exemption with the government. Most exemptions last five years.
The council can fine you up to £2,000 if a home has been let below E for less than three months, and up to £4,000 if it's three months or more. The fines for one home can't add up to more than £5,000. The council can also publish details of the breach for at least a year (Energy Efficiency Regulations 2015, regs 39 and 40).
So, to keep the two apart: the £3,500 limit is the law today. The £10,000 limit is only a plan.
Who it affects
The plan covers private landlords in England and Wales. It would apply to new and existing tenancies alike, with one date for everyone. Short-term lets would be left out for now, though the government says it is keeping this under review.
When
None of these dates is law yet, and they could change. The plan was announced in January 2026, before the change of Prime Minister on 20 July 2026. Since then, the government hasn't said anything new about it, either to confirm it or to change it.
The government says it first needs new powers from an Act of Parliament. It then plans to make regulations, aiming for them to come into force in 2027. As of 12 October 2026, no draft regulations have been published.
The new certificates were first due in October 2026. In March 2026, the government moved them to the second half of 2027. No exact date has been announced yet. To count early, a home would need a C on its energy certificate before 1 October 2029. Every home you let would need to meet the new standard by 1 October 2030.
What to do
You don't need to do anything for the 2030 plan yet. The legal minimum is still E, so make sure each home you let meets E or has an exemption registered.
If you want to plan ahead, the improvements listed on your energy certificate are a good place to start. If you do carry out work, keep your receipts, the dates, and the certificate or written advice that recommended it.
We'll update this page if the plan becomes law.
On Quarterday
Sources
- Warm Homes Plan (GOV.UK, published 21 January 2026, corrected 18 March 2026): band C by October 2030, £10,000 spending cap, the lower cap for low-value homes, improvements from October 2025 counting. Checked 2026-10-12.
- Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes: 2025 update (GOV.UK consultation page; government response published 21 January 2026): summary of decisions, the plan to legislate, short-term lets left out. Checked 2026-10-12.
- Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes: government response (GOV.UK): 1 October 2030, £10,000 cap, the £100,000 threshold, what spending counts and what doesn't, 10-year exemptions, the 1 October 2029 rule and its end when a certificate expires or is replaced, new certificates before and after work and their reasonable cost counting towards the cap, £30,000 planned fine, Act of Parliament then regulations aimed for 2027, single date for all tenancies, short-term lets. Checked 2026-10-12.
- Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime (GOV.UK, update of 9 March 2026): new certificates moved to the second half of 2027; a new launch date still to be agreed. Checked 2026-10-12.
- Clean flexibility roadmap: July 2026 update (GOV.UK, 13 July 2026): the new certificate's four headline scores; latest restatement of the second half of 2027 and 1 October 2030. Checked 2026-10-12.
- The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015, regulation 22 and regulation 23: today's minimum of band E and the ban on letting below it. Checked 2026-10-12.
- The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015, regulation 24: £3,500 cost cap including VAT, less spending since 1 October 2017. Checked 2026-10-12.
- The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015, regulation 39 and regulation 40: fines of up to £2,000 and £4,000, £5,000 in total, and publishing details of the breach for at least 12 months. Checked 2026-10-12.
- Domestic private rented property: minimum energy efficiency standard - landlord guidance (GOV.UK): exemptions mostly last five years; the current cap, fines and publication in plain terms. Checked 2026-10-12.
- Register a private rented sector energy standards exemption (GOV.UK): where exemptions are registered. Checked 2026-10-12.
- Prime Minister (GOV.UK): the change of Prime Minister on 20 July 2026. The plan's pages, including the Warm Homes Plan landing page, are labelled as published under the previous government. Checked 2026-10-12.
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we’ll check it. This is general information, not legal advice.