Are you ready for MEES?

Who is affected?

Both Domestic and Commercial rented properties are affected.

From the 1st April 2018 all new leases and lease renewals for privately rented properties must include a valid EPC at a level E or better.

For Domestic properties, this requirement is extended to existing leases on the 1st April 2020.

For Commercial properties, the extension to scope to cover existing leases applies from the 1st April 2023.

What is the minimum standard?

All properties must have an EPC rated E or high, meaning that F and G rated properties will not be legal to let or renew.

Any property with an existing EPC rated E may also not be compliant as EPC’s must be renewed every ten years and the standards are constantly changing. A property that was rated E in the last ten years is almost certain to be lower if re-assessed now and that could mean the difference between letting a property or not.

What should you do about it?

Talk to us about your portfolio of properties and we can help.

• The first stage is to understand how many properties are due for lease renewal during the next year, and how many of those have an EPC that is old or low.
• We would then assess each of these properties for EPC performance
• In each case we would provide options and costs to bring the property up to a comfortable E rating or higher.

The measures required may be as simple as some LED lighting, draft proofing or simple insulation measures. Sometimes there can be simple changes in the way a building is heated that can make all the difference. In other cases, it may be that more extensive renovations are required to bring the property up to standard.

In some extreme cases, it may not be possible to achieve the required standard, and in these cases we can provide the evidence and data to apply for an exemption under the regulations.