Energy Performance Certificate
Energy Performance Certificates — our editorial position on energy ratings
Harvey W James focuses on modern, energy-efficient properties — typically EPC rating B or C. That is not an aesthetic preference. It is an editorial position with three operational consequences a landlord can measure: a portfolio that sits comfortably above the current Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) floor, comfortably above the next-horizon MEES tightening to C, and inside the Decent Homes Standard’s 2027 extension to private rented properties. The same fabric quality that produces those ratings also reduces the damp and mould pathway that triggers Awaab’s Law clocks from October 2027.
This page sets out what an EPC is, where ours sit, where the regulatory floor is moving, and how that interacts with the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 possession regime.
1. What an EPC is
An Energy Performance Certificate rates a property’s energy efficiency on a scale of A (most efficient) to G (least efficient). It also reports the property’s environmental impact. Issued by an accredited Domestic Energy Assessor; recorded on the publicly-searchable government register; valid for ten years from the date of issue.
A valid EPC must be in place before a tenant moves in. There is no exemption for private rented sector lettings. You can find any property’s current EPC by searching the Find an Energy Certificate service.
2. The current regulatory floor — MEES (E)
Under the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 — commonly the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) — a private rented residential property must have an EPC rating of at least E to be let lawfully. Properties rated F or G cannot be let unless a valid exemption is registered on the PRS Exemptions Register.
Penalty for letting a sub-standard property without a registered exemption: civil penalties up to £4,000 per breach under the current regime. Penalties rise to £7,000 once Decent Homes Standard enforcement takes effect across the private rented sector in 2027 (see section 3).
A valid EPC is also a pre-condition to relying on certain possession grounds under the Renters’ Rights Act 2025: under RRA the EPC forms part of the wider compliance evidence required when a landlord seeks possession via Section 8 (see section 5).
3. The next horizon — Decent Homes Standard from 2027
The Decent Homes Standard, until now applicable to social housing only, is being extended to the private rented sector as part of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 reform package. Phasing from 2027.
The standard sits alongside MEES rather than replacing it. Its enforcement layer is the principal reason the per-breach penalty rises from £4,000 to £7,000 in 2027.
Landlords whose properties do not currently meet a credible Decent Homes baseline should plan the works now — ahead of the enforcement window, not after it.
4. The horizon after — MEES tightening to C
The government has consulted on raising the MEES minimum from E to C, with the working timetable:
- April 2030 — all new tenancies must be at EPC rating C or above.
- April 2033 — all existing tenancies must be at EPC rating C or above.
The final regulations are not yet laid. The direction of travel — to a C floor for all private rented properties — is settled policy across both major parties.
A portfolio at EPC rating B sits two notches above the 2030 floor and one notch above C. A portfolio at C sits exactly at the 2030 floor — compliant, but with no headroom for assessor-variation on re-rating.
This is why we focus on B-and-C. We want a portfolio that is comfortable not just at today’s E floor but at the 2030 C floor and the 2033 all-tenancy version of it.
5. EPC and the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 possession regime
Section 21 has been abolished since 1 May 2026. Every possession claim now runs through Section 8 of the Housing Act 1988, on a specific named ground, with the prescribed evidence the regime requires for that ground.
Several Section 8 grounds carry compliance pre-conditions. A valid in-date EPC is part of the wider compliance evidence the court expects to see at the possession stage — alongside Gas Safety, EICR, deposit protection compliance and the prescribed-information chain.
A letting agent who lets a property without checking EPC validity hasn’t just exposed the landlord to MEES enforcement. They’ve quietly weakened the landlord’s possession case before any dispute even begins. We track EPC currency as part of the compliance maintenance bundled into our 10% management fee — see Landlords and Property Management.
6. EPC and Awaab’s Law
Awaab’s Law — extending to the private rented sector through the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 — comes into force in October 2027. Once it does, every reported hazard must be investigated within 14 days of being identified and made-safe or repaired within 7 days of that investigation, with stricter rules for emergency hazards.
The hazards that most often trigger Awaab’s Law clocks are damp and mould. The single largest determinant of damp-and-mould risk in a property is the thermal envelope — the insulation, the windows, the ventilation strategy. Properties at EPC B and C tend to have modern fabric (post-2010 build standards, often MVHR-equipped), lower condensation risk, and significantly fewer mould-pathway repairs than older, sub-C-rated properties.
A B-rated property doesn’t eliminate Awaab’s Law risk. It does materially reduce the rate at which the law’s clocks start. See Awaab’s Law for the full duty regime.
7. The new-build coherence
New-build properties are typically constructed to a fabric standard that produces an A or B rating at first certification. MVHR (mechanical ventilation with heat recovery), high-spec glazing and modern insulation are now defaults rather than upgrades on prime central London new-build developments.
Harvey W James specialises in new-build lettings precisely because the operating profile — fabric-led efficiency, predictable condensation behaviour, well-understood snagging windows, integrated utility management — is what produces the B-default EPC rating across the portfolio. Pillar 2 of our positioning (new-build specialists) and the EPC-B-default position aren’t two claims. They are one claim, expressed twice.
See New-Build Specialists for the detail of the operational layer.
8. How to check a property’s EPC
The public register is at find-energy-certificate.service.gov.uk. You can search by postcode or by an existing certificate’s Report Reference Number (RRN). The register shows the current rating, the assessor, the date of issue, and the date the certificate expires.
If you are a Harvey W James landlord and want a current EPC review across your portfolio — or want to plan EPC works to land at C-or-above before the 2030 floor takes effect — contact us using the details below.
9. Contact
For EPC queries, planning the next assessment, or scoping works to lift a property’s rating ahead of the 2030 C floor:
- Telephone: 020 3865 1500
- Email: info@harveywjames.com
- Office: 1st Floor, 415 High Street, Stratford, London, E15 4QZ
This page sets out our editorial position on EPC and the related regulatory regime. It is not legal or tax advice. For statutory enforcement, refer to MEES (Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) Regulations 2015), the Decent Homes Standard PRS extension, and the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.
Last reviewed: 25 May 2026