9:38 AM, 10th February 2025, About 23 hours ago 16
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Research reveals that 2.58 million homes in the private rented sector will need upgrading to meet an EPC C requirement.
The findings from epIMS come after the government announced its EPC consultation which could see new tenancies having to meet the C Rating from 2028.
For all tenancies, the deadline is 2030.
However, the government says that it could cost up to £8,000 to upgrade – meaning England’s landlords face a £19.8 billion bill to meet these new standards.
In London, where there are 1.2 million private rentals, upgrading costs are higher at £9,000 to leave landlords looking at a total bill of £4.7 billion.
The firm’s Craig Cooper said: “It’s estimated that over 2.5m privately rented properties currently hold an EPC rating of below a C and so the government’s intention to make a C rating mandatory by 2030 will have a notable impact on the current rental market landscape.
“The average landlord is thought to have eight properties within their portfolio and with the average cost to bring a sub-C rated home up to compliance coming in at £8,000, that’s a potential required investment cost of £64,000 over the next five years in order to ensure their portfolio is compliant.”
He added: “The worry is that forcing a mandatory EPC C rating on the nation’s landlords could cause more to exit the sector, exacerbating the current rental crisis in the process.
“However, what many landlords don’t realise is that an EPC rating is actually compiled using a points-based system and so achieving a C rating could be well within their reach by making just a few small improvements to their rental properties.”
A recent survey commissioned by epIMS revealed a startling lack of awareness among landlords with 40% being unaware of the consultation.
Also, 42% did not know that the minimum EPC standard will soon be upgraded to a C.
And 27% were unsure of the current EPC ratings of their properties – with 32% of landlords unaware of the EPC ratings points system.
Researchers found that 65% of landlords do not know how many points are needed for a C rating.
When asked about their plans for making the necessary improvements, 75% of landlords stated they would wait until the 2030 deadline, with only 15% intending to act within the next year.
The primary challenges cited were the cost of improvements and a lack of understanding about which changes would positively impact their EPC scores.
Homes built after 1990 fare better, with nearly 83% holding a C rating or above.
In contrast, only 39% of pre-1990 homes meet this standard.
Upgrading an EPC D property to a C could reduce annual energy bills by 29% (£717).
For an E rated property, the savings could be 48% (£1,685) per year.
Properties with F and G ratings could see reductions of 61% (£2,838) and 70% (£4,240) respectively, leading to potential savings of over £21,000 in five years.
Chris H
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Sign Up15:00 PM, 10th February 2025, About 17 hours ago
I own some every efficient flats build in the late 80,s, however the system does not factor in the insulation that IS fitted.,
One of my tenants spends a couple hundred pounds a year on electric, there is no gas installed, the EPC is bs, I believe EPC C should NOT be allowed until current council and social housing matches the current level of private EPC, how is this BS legal!!!
Jo Westlake
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Sign Up15:30 PM, 10th February 2025, About 17 hours ago
Reply to the comment left by Liam at 10/02/2025 - 13:28
That's the predicted figure according to British Gas.
The actual January bill was:
Gas £128.39
Electric £155.39
The July bill was:
Gas £28.22
Electric £126.86
It's a combi boiler and the tenants can adjust the programmer to whatever they want. They usually just leave it set on a program that changes several times a day so it is warmer at breakfast time and in the evening.
The house is occupied 52 weeks a year by working adults. Some WFH so the heating is never set to anything approaching cold. I don't understand why their gas usage is as low as it is. Maybe because the fabric of the building never chills down?
Cider Drinker
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Sign Up16:03 PM, 10th February 2025, About 16 hours ago
Landlords in the North East will not be spending 2 or 3 years of gross rent on a capital ‘improvement’ that turns their early 10th century homes into sweat boxes full of damp and mould.
For many, £10,000 would represent 10 years or more of net profit.
The properties will be sold and end up in the hands of poor homeowners who don’t need to improve their homes.
Matthew Jude
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Sign Up17:34 PM, 10th February 2025, About 15 hours ago
This drive for improved epc ratings is not for tenants. The
message from the government is fundamentally dishonest. As a business, landlords have to pass on their costs to their customers, tenants. To suggest that landlords being forced to spend 8,10,12 thousand pounds extra on a property in the next few years to save the tenant a few hundred pounds a year will make the tenant better off is plainly false. The increased costs passed on will dwarf any savings made by the tenant. The political parties need to be honest with landlords and tenants alike. They want to get rid of the small, non corporate landlords. The conservatives to enable large corporations to become mega landlords with reduced competition, the Labour Party, both in Central and local government, due to their ideological hatred of landlords. I've been a landlord for thirty years with great tenant relationships but we no longer see a future for our business. We can sell up and take the money. Our tenants cannot find similar properties without downsizing and paying much higher rents. Most long term tenants cannot buy a home for different financial reasons and if you are not in a favoured interest group of your local council, you may be no 12,000 in the que for a council house, so no hope there. Does anyone, anywhere, believe Angela Raynors 1.5 million homes fantasy?
Tenants need to be told the truth. They are going to suffer for years and it is not landlords who are causing this. Central government and the ideologically anti-landlord local authorities and pressure groups are driving this chaos.
Peter Watson
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Sign Up19:21 PM, 10th February 2025, About 13 hours ago
If I have a non EPC C property at the deadline date will I have permission to end the tenancy?
If I can't evict them and they can't live there what happens?
clarkydaz
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Sign Up22:55 PM, 10th February 2025, About 9 hours ago
Reply to the comment left by Peter Watson at 10/02/2025 - 19:21
As the landlord you will be left with all the headache, financial hit and stress