In the consultation, it was proposed that all rental properties should be EPC C-rated by 2025. In 2021, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) closed a consultation regarding “improving the Energy Performance of Privately Rented Homes in England and Wales” but the results have yet to be published, much to the frustration of buy-to-let landlords. Your own EPC will suggest what improvements could be made to your property to upgrade its efficiency and reach the next stage. Law changes in 2021 have meant landlords can be fined up to £5,000 if their property is rated F or G, but new plans could see fines reach as high as £30,000. Landlords are expected to achieve a C-rating by 2028, under government proposals. If you have recently bought a buy-to-let, you should already have an EPC provided by the seller, and if your current one is about to expire, another government portal will list nearby accredited assessors – there is a small fee for the assessment, normally of around £30 to £50.ĮPC ratings run from A (extremely efficient) to G (extremely inefficient).

Published EPCs are all available through a government portal. Having one is a legal requirement if you are selling, leasing or renting a property.ĮPCs are calculated based on two factors: the amount of energy used per square metre, and the level of carbon emissions per year (measured in tonnes).

Your property’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is your ticket to a government-approved level of energy efficiency. So what do you need to do to upgrade your buy-to-let portfolio, and what is the most cost-effective way of doing so? What is an EPC and how do you improve one? The work needed could involve anything from insulating an attic at a cost of a few hundred pounds, or overhauling the energy network and installing a heat pump and solar panels – at a cost of thousands of pounds.īut the good news is that energy-efficient homes are commanding higher house prices, making the investment increasingly worthwhile. Government proposals will force landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of properties they let to meet minimum standards within the next five years, as part of the wider drive to achieve the UK's “net zero” targets by 2050. New energy efficiency rules which will require landlords to provide well-insulated homes threaten to cost investors thousands of pounds.

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