Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) Report Information

Properties exempt from MEES

There are several reasons why a property may be exempt from needing to comply with the MEES legislation. If your property falls into one of these categories, then you can apply to have it added to the MEES Exemptions Register.

It is important to note that one of the key bits of information required to apply to be added to this register is a valid EPC. This means that if you are applying for an exemption for a property which would not normally require an EPC, such as listed building, then for the purposes of your MEES exemption application you will need to have a valid EPC in place.

All categories of exemption except the ‘New Landlord’ Exemption are valid for a period of 5 years. After this period the landlord again endeavour to improve the property’s EPC rating to meet the minimum standards. If this cannot be achieved then a further exemption may be able to be applied for.

Your building may be classified as exempt from MEES legislation for one of the following reasons:

• ‘High cost’ Exemption may apply in cases where the cheapest of the improvements recommended for the property would cost over £3500 to implement, as evidenced by official quotes from 3 separate installers. This exemption only applies to domestic property.
• ‘7 Year Payback’ Exemption may apply where it can be demonstrated that the cost of energy efficiency measures required to bring the property up to standard will not pay for themselves through savings made on your energy bills within a 7 year timeframe. This exemption only applies to non-domestic property.
• ‘All Improvements Made’ Exemption may apply where it can be demonstrated that all ‘relevant energy efficiency improvements that can be made to the property have been carried out, but the property still has an EPC rating of below an E. This exemption applies to domestic and non-domestic property.
• ‘Wall Insulation’ Exemption may apply where wall insulation is required to bring the property up to standard, but for technical reasons cavity, internal or external insulation systems are not suitable for the specific property in question. This exemption applies to domestic and non-domestic property.
• ‘Consent’ Exemption may apply where third party consent would be required to install recommended measures, such as in the case of planning permission being needed for the installation of solar panels, but consent has been refused. This exemption applies to domestic and non-domestic property.
• ‘Devaluation’ Exemption may apply where it can be demonstrated (through an independent valuation by a RICS surveyor) that installation of recommended energy efficiency measures will devalue the property by over 5%. This exemption applies to domestic and non-domestic property.
• ‘New Landlord’ Exemption may apply in specific circumstances where a person has become a landlord suddenly, such as when a new lease has been deemed created by operation of law, or a lease has been granted due to a contractual obligation. If applied for successfully this category of exemption is valid for a period of 6 months.

For a full breakdown of each exemption and to find out if you can apply, check out our MEES Exemption Guide.

MEES Legislation Updates

The government confirmed on 21 January 2026, as part of the Warm Homes Plan, that domestic private rented properties in England and Wales must reach EPC band C by 1 October 2030. This is now confirmed government policy, not a proposal.

Key confirmed details for the domestic private rented sector (PRS) from 2030:

• Minimum standard: EPC C (up from the current minimum of EPC E).
• Spending cap: £10,000 per property (current cap is £3,500). The higher cap gives landlords more headroom before a high-cost exemption applies.
• Maximum penalty: £30,000 (current maximum domestic penalty is £5,000).
• Grandfathering: a property that achieves EPC C before 1 October 2029 remains compliant until that EPC expires.
• Approach: fabric-first, then heating improvements or smart readiness measures.

New powers will require an Act of Parliament and a statutory instrument (SI) amending the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property)(England and Wales) Regulations 2015. The legislation is expected to come into force in 2027, giving landlords time to plan. The direction is confirmed, so acting early is the lower-risk approach.

For commercial (non-domestic) properties the regime is different: the government has set out that rented buildings over 1,000 square metres will need EPC B by 2031, with smaller buildings staying at the current EPC E minimum for now. See our commercial MEES regulations page for detail, or read our landlord MEES guide for the domestic position.

Last reviewed: June 2026