Government restricts the letting of F and G energy-rated non-domestic buildings from 2018
Published on 6th Feb 2015
The Department of Energy & Climate Change has published its consultation response on minimum energy performance standards in the non-domestic private rented sector.
The response follows the Government’s position from its consultation document of July 2014, with the key areas being confirmed as:
- From 1 April 2018 it will be unlawful for a landlord to grant a lease to a new tenant or to an existing tenant if the property has an EPC rating of F or G.
- From 1 April 2023 the E rating minimum energy standard will apply to all privately rented property, including where a lease is already in place and a property is occupied by a tenant.
The Government has allowed some exemptions for landlords from meeting the minimum standard, including where energy efficiency improvement measures are not cost-effective, either within a 7-year payback, or under the Green Deal’s ‘Golden-Rule’ principle and also where landlords are unable to obtain all necessary consents to install the necessary improvements.
The draft regulations were laid for parliamentary approval on the 4 February 2015.
