Landlords face fines of up to £30,000 under tougher EPC enforcement plans
12:10 AM, 6th November 2026, 4 hours ago
The government has proposed fines of more than £30,000 for rogue landlords who fail to meet EPC standards, as it confirms the date for the EPC C deadline.
The Energy Independence Bill will give councils stronger enforcement powers to crack down on landlords who fail to comply with EPC requirements.
The government has also confirmed that the deadline for all PRS properties to meet EPC C standards will be 1 October 2030.
Save tenants money
The government claims that upgrading all PRS properties to EPC C could help tenants in improved rental homes save around £210 a year on energy bills by 2030.
Local authorities will also receive tougher enforcement powers to crack down on landlords failing to improve non-compliant properties.
The maximum civil penalty for landlords breaching the regulations has increased to £30,000, alongside an updated maximum required investment of £10,000 per property.
The maximum civil penalty for landlords who breach the regulations will be £30,000. However, it is not yet clear whether this will apply as a single maximum fine or £30,000 per property, per breach.
In January 2026, the government proposed a penalty of up to £30,000 per property, per breach of the regulations. The final approach will need to be clarified as the bill progresses through Parliament.
Encourage landlord compliance
In the government’s guidance on Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards enforcement, it says the £30,000 fine is intended to encourage landlord compliance and drive improvements across the private rented sector.
The guidance said: “The overall strategic objective of this measure is to ensure local authorities have the necessary powers and actions available to ensure non-compliant properties are improved.
“This measure will contribute to improving the private rented sector for tenants by improving the quality of properties across the sector, delivering warmer, cheaper to heat homes. This is vital to ensuring a reduction in the number of fuel-poor households and vulnerable tenants being left in cold energy inefficient homes.
“Increasing the energy efficiency of privately rented properties will improve energy security and reduce reliance on imported energy for heating homes.
“The measure will introduce a new maximum civil penalty of £30,000 for landlords found to be in breach of the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015. This will ensure that more privately rented properties are required to meet the minimum standard as set out by the regulations.”
