At the end of June, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) released its 2022 progress report to parliament. Unsurprisingly, a number of the recommendations target the built environment and highlight the steps needed to get us to net zero.

What is already in place?

Since 1 April 2018 it has been unlawful to grant a new tenancy of a property with an EPC rating below E unless an exemption applies and has been validly registered on the PRS Exemptions Register. On 1 April 2020 this was extended for domestic properties, catching existing as well as new tenancies. Tenanted non-domestic properties will need to be at least EPC level E by 1 April next year, unless an exemption applies and has been registered. However, this only catches a small proportion of building stock.

In anticipation of more stringent regulation, in 2020 the government consulted on increasing the minimum EPC level for the domestic private rented sector to C by 2028. A consultation for non-domestic properties followed in 2021. The proposals suggested raising the minimum standard for domestic properties in a similar way to that used in 2018 – application to new tenancies from 2025, with all tenancies being affected from 2028.

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