EPC C by 2030: what the 2026 decision means for landlords

Privately rented homes in England and Wales will have to reach EPC C, or the equivalent on new-style certificates, by 1 October 2030, under a government decision of 21 January 2026 that is not yet law. Until regulations are made, the legal minimum stays at E, as it has been since 1 April 2020.

That decision changes how a landlord should plan the next four years. It affects which works to book, when to commission an EPC assessment, and which receipts to keep. We are EliteShires Property Services, based on Kenton Lane. We assess EPCs across Harrow, Kenton, Stanmore and Edgware and lodge the certificate within 24 hours. This guide sets out what was decided, what is still open and the order we would tackle it in. Every fact was checked against official sources in October 2026.

What did the government decide in January 2026?

The government's response of 21 January 2026 set one compliance date for all private tenancies: 1 October 2030. It also set a new cost cap, new exemptions and higher fines. The table compares those decisions with the rules that apply today.

Today's minimum standard against the 2030 decision (checked October 2026)

The consultation had floated an earlier 2028 date for new tenancies. The response dropped it: "There will not be an earlier compliance date for new tenancies" (GOV.UK government response, 21 January 2026). Anyone still quoting 2025 or 2028 as a C deadline is out of date.

Does an EPC rated C today still count in 2030?

Yes. A property with a C or better on an EPC issued before 1 October 2029 is treated as compliant "until this EPC expires or is replaced" (GOV.UK government response, January 2026). EPCs last ten years, so a C lodged in 2026 could carry a property well past the 2030 deadline.

Two practical points follow from that wording.

• Replacing a certificate ends its protection. Only the most recent EPC for a property is valid (GOV.UK EPC guide for dwellings). If you commission a new one, it replaces the old one, and the property is judged on the new result. A fresh EPC after works is useful. A fresh EPC for no reason can cost you a good rating.
• The cut-off is 30 September 2029. If your property is a D that is close to C, works and a new EPC before that date let you comply on the familiar scale. After it, you will be measured on the new metrics.

Our guide to how long an EPC lasts and when you need a new one covers validity, expiry mid-tenancy and the reform timetable in more detail.

How will "EPC C or equivalent" be measured after 2029?

It will be measured on the new-style EPCs, using two metrics. The primary standard is fabric performance: how well the walls, roof, floor and windows hold heat. The secondary standard is either the heating system metric or the smart readiness metric, and the landlord chooses which (GOV.UK government response, January 2026).

Some detail is still missing. The exact C threshold on the new certificates has not been published. It depends on how the Home Energy Model, the new calculation behind EPCs, sets the bands. The new certificates themselves were due in October 2026. On 9 March 2026 the government moved their launch to the second half of 2027 (GOV.UK, reforms to the energy performance of buildings regime). They will carry four headline metrics: energy cost, fabric performance, heating system and smart readiness.

The government's advice is not to wait. "Landlords do not need to wait until new EPCs with new metrics are available" to start improving, and it "encourages landlords to make upgrades to their properties during any vacant periods".

How does the £10,000 cost cap work?

The cap is the most a landlord will have to spend on one property to meet the 2030 standard: £10,000 over a 10-year period. If you reach C for less, you only spend what it takes. If you hit the cap first, you can register an exemption (GOV.UK government response, January 2026).

What counts towards it:

• Measures installed since 1 October 2025, except new fossil fuel heating such as a replacement gas boiler. Work done before that date does not count towards the new cap.
• Reasonable EPC costs, including the certificates before and after works.
• Third-party funding that pays for measures.

What does not count: grant money from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Your own contribution alongside it does.

There is a lower cap for low-value homes. For a property worth under £100,000, the cap is 10% of its value.

Which exemptions will the 2030 rules allow?

The 2030 rules keep three of today's exemptions (high cost, all improvements made and third-party consent), fold the wall insulation and devaluation exemptions into a new "negative impacts" exemption, and add new ones. Some will last 10 years instead of five. The government says exemptions are measure-specific, so landlords should still install every other relevant measure within the cap.

Exemptions decided for the 2030 standard (not yet law; checked October 2026)

None of these can be registered yet. Today's exemptions, and how to register them on the PRS Exemptions Register, are covered in our guide to EPC exemptions and the PRS register. Homes that are listed or in a conservation area raise their own questions, set out in EPCs for listed and conservation-area homes.

Where do most rented homes stand now?

Just over half of privately rented homes in England were already rated C or better in 2024. The English Housing Survey put 48% of private rented homes in band C and 3% in A or B. A further 37% were D and 9% were E (English Housing Survey 2024 to 2025, published 29 January 2026).

So the job falls hardest on the D and E homes, and on older stock. The same survey found only 27% of homes built before 1919 rated A to C. Private rented homes also had the lowest share of cavity wall insulation of any tenure, at 60%.

That matters locally. In Harrow, 51.8% of homes with a known build date went up between 1919 and 1939, more than twice London's share (Valuation Office Agency stock data, March 2025). Interwar houses make up much of the local housing stock. Their scores vary with what has been done since: loft insulation, wall insulation, glazing and the heating system. The age of the house alone does not tell you the rating.

If you are unsure what the letters and scores on your certificate mean, our guide to EPC ratings explained walks through a certificate section by section.

What should a landlord do first?

Start with the facts on your current certificate, then plan works around voids. This is the order we would follow.

1. Look up your certificate. Search your address on the GOV.UK Find an energy certificate register. Note the rating, the score, the date and the recommendations.
2. Deal with F or G now. Those ratings are unlawful to let today unless an exemption is registered. This is current law, not a 2030 question.
3. Protect a C. If you hold a C issued before 1 October 2029, keep it valid and don't replace it without a reason.
4. Price the gap for a D or E. Read the recommendations in order. A D scoring 66 needs much less than a D scoring 56. Take advice from a qualified retrofit professional before major works, as the government response recommends.
5. Book works into voids. Insulation, heating and glazing are disruptive with a tenant in place. Lining them up with the gap between tenancies saves time.
6. Get an EPC after the works. The new certificate shows the result and becomes your evidence. If you can finish before 30 September 2029, you lock in a C on today's scale.
7. Keep the paperwork together. Invoices, before and after EPCs, and any exemption evidence belong in one file per property.

The private rented sector database will also ask for each property's EPC and whether an energy-efficiency exemption is registered, from 15 July 2027 in London (draft regulations, awaiting Parliament's approval); our guide to the landlord database has the detail.

Who enforces the standard in Harrow, Brent and Barnet?

Your local council enforces the energy efficiency standard, through its private housing team. The council that matters is the one your property sits in, which is not always the one your postcode suggests.

Which council covers your rental, across our four areas (checked October 2026)

Licensing is a separate system; see licensing in Harrow, Brent and Barnet.

Penalties under today's rules run to £2,000 for letting a sub-standard home for under three months, £4,000 for three months or more, and £5,000 in total per property (GOV.UK landlord guidance, updated 5 May 2026). Councils can also publish the breach. For how these sit alongside gas, electrical and alarm penalties, see our guide to landlord fines and penalties.

What can we do, and what do we refer on?

We carry out the EPC assessment and the smaller measures (lighting, wet-side heating, draught-proofing and joinery), and we refer insulation, boilers, heat pumps, solar panels and windows to specialist installers.

• The assessment. An accredited assessor visits, the EPC is lodged within 24 hours, and we explain the recommendations in plain terms. The price is fixed and confirmed before we attend.
• Lighting. Our electricians replace old lighting with low-energy fittings.
• Wet-side heating. Our plumbers deal with radiators, cylinders and pipework.
• Draught-proofing and joinery around doors and windows, through our handyman and carpentry teams.

We don't service boilers. When insulation, a new boiler, a heat pump, solar panels or windows is the measure that matters, we will say so plainly, so you can go to the right installer. Our guide to improving a rental's EPC rating ranks the common measures by how much disruption they cause.

EPC in your area

• EPC in Harrow
• EPC in Kenton
• EPC in Stanmore
• EPC in Edgware