Homes whose own EPC says they cannot reach C

What does “cannot reach C” mean here?

Every energy certificate carries two ratings. The current rating describes the home as it is. The potential rating is what the assessor’s software estimates the home would score if every measure on the certificate’s recommendation list were installed. This page counts homes where both are D to G.

The recommendation list is limited to what RdSAP, the software used for existing homes, suggests. So this is a count of certificates and what they say, and it makes no claim about what is physically possible in any one home. A home is counted once, on its newest certificate.

Does the age of the certificate matter?

Yes, for older certificates. 56.3% of the below-C homes whose newest certificate was lodged from 2008 to 2010 have a potential rating of D to G. On certificates lodged since 2020 the share is 7.5%. The register does not say why, and recommendation lists have changed over the years, so treat the oldest rows as a record of what those certificates said at the time.

Privately rented homes do not show the same pattern. Certificates lodged from 2008 to 2010 do not record tenure at all, so no rented home appears in that band. On every band from 2011 onwards the rented share sits close to 8.4%, and it is 7.9% on certificates lodged since 2020 (83,412homes). That is why the rented figure leads this page. The missing tenure on the earliest certificates is also why the “tenure not recorded” row below is so large.

How many homes cannot reach C, by tenure?

Privately rented homes make up 155,030 of the total. That is 8.4% of the privately rented homes rated below C. The matching shares are 5.2% for owner-occupied homes and 9.8% for socially rented homes.

The largest group by count is the “Tenure not recorded” row: 804,287 homes, or 49.7% of the below-C homes in that group. These sit outside the privately rented figures, because the newest certificate does not say how they are let.

Which homes are least able to reach C?

These tables cover all homes, whatever the tenure. “Share of below-C homes” is the proportion of homes rated D to G that also have a potential rating of D to G. “Share of all homes in group” sets the same count against every home in the group.

By property type

By count, houses have the most: 702,321 homes. By share, maisonettes come first: 11.7% of all maisonettes have a potential rating of D to G.

Park homes show the highest share of any type, 69.6%, but there are only 11,886 of them, so they are left out of the ranking above.

By age band

Homes built before 1900 lead on both measures: 285,579 homes, which is 16.4% of all homes built before 1900.

By main fuel

By count, homes heated mainly by mains gas have the most: 790,086 homes. By share, homes heated mainly by LPG come first: 46.9% of all homes heated mainly by LPG have a potential rating of D to G.

Which rented homes are affected most?

The same three cuts for privately rented homes only. The headline for this group is 155,030 homes, or 8.4% of the privately rented homes rated below C.

By property type

By count, flats have the most: 118,206 homes. By share, maisonettes come first: 10.1% of privately rented maisonettes have a potential rating of D to G.

By age band

By count, homes built 1900-1929 have the most: 47,714 homes. By share, homes built before 1900 come first: 7.0% of privately rented homes built before 1900 have a potential rating of D to G.

By main fuel

By count, homes heated mainly by mains gas have the most: 72,097 homes. By share, homes heated mainly by LPG come first: 37.5% of privately rented homes heated mainly by LPG have a potential rating of D to G.

Among groups of 10,000 homes or more, LPG has the highest share: 39.0% of the below-C privately rented homes on that fuel have a potential rating of D to G, which is 6,720 homes.

What does this mean for landlords?

The minimum EPC band you must meet to let a property in England and Wales today is E. That has been the case since 1 April 2020.

Government has said it intends to require EPC band C in the private rented sector in England and Wales from 1 October 2030. That is confirmed policy, not yet law. The proposal would raise the minimum to band C from 1 October 2030, and it is a proposal only. Read the page on the proposed EPC C standard for where it stands.

A rented home with a potential rating of D to G is one where the certificate’s own recommendations do not reach band C. If the proposal became law, a landlord in that position would be among those most likely to look at the high-cost exemption route. The cost cap in force today is £3,500 including VAT. Government has proposed raising it to £10,000, or 10% of the property value where that is below £100,000, under the new rules. Whether an exemption applied would depend on the rules as finally made and on the facts of the property, and nothing on this page promises one. The cost cap and exemptions guide sets out how the route works today.

A register total cannot tell you about one property. For a home you let, read the potential rating on its own certificate, and check the date it was lodged, because an older certificate reflects the recommendations available at that time.