What the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards will mean for you
As has been mentioned before, the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) will come into effect next year for private rented properties.
From 1st April 2018, landlords of relevant domestic private rented properties may not grant a tenancy to new or existing tenants if their property has an EPC rating of band F or G (as shown on a valid Energy Performance Certificate for the property);
Furthermore, from the 1st April 2020, landlords must not continue letting a relevant domestic property which is already let if that property has an EPC rating of band F or G.
What does this mean for landlords?
Properties with an EPC rating of F or G will be prohibited from being let after 1st April 2018 – that includes both issuing a new tenancy or renewing or extending an existing tenancy agreement with existing tenants, unless the landlord has a valid exemption.
For more details on MEES and what landlords must do, see the guidance:
Doing nothing is not an option – either the property must be brought up to the correct standard or, if the landlord has established that there is a valid exemption, it must be registered on the national PRS Exemptions Register. There is no charge to register an exemption and it can be done by either the landlord or their agent.
The Register became available from 1st October 2017 but there is no requirement for landlords to register before the minimum standard requirements come into force from 1 April 2018, and before a new tenancy triggers the need for that property to comply with the Regulations.
Enforcement agencies (i.e. Local Authorities) will have access to the Register and may use it as a tool to support enforcement of the standards; BEIS (the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) will also have access for monitoring and statistical purposes.
If a landlord has made improvements to their rented property which affects the energy efficiency but has not commissioned a new EPC because the existing one was still less than 10 years old, it may just be a case of obtaining an updated EPC.
Also be aware that EPCs were introduced on the 1st August 2007 which means that certificates will start to become out of date and must be renewed if the property is to be re-let or the tenancy renewed.
What help is available?
The energy companies are obligated by the government to provide assistance for installing energy efficiency measures through either the Green Deal or the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). The offers can be either directly, for example, through their own websites etc, or through partners.
One such partnership is the Residential Landlords Association which is currently working with three energy companies to provide help specifically for its members: https://www.rla.org.uk/landlord/energy-efficiency-funding/index.shtml. Other partnerships may also be available to assist landlords or tenants in accessing energy efficiency measures.
