Energy Efficiency Regulations

Landlords of rented property are required to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) in place which details on a scale from A to G the energy efficiency of a dwelling and provides useful information on likely fuel consumption costs.

As from April 1, 2020 the legislation has been fully implemented and now applies to all tenancies.  From this date it is an offence to let a property with an energy rating of F or G, unless an exemption certificate is obtained.

Properties with poor energy efficiency waste energy and impose unnecessary costs on tenants and the wider economy. In addition, these properties contribute to avoidable greenhouse gas emissions.

As part of this legislation, the department has also been given a range of enforcement powers which allow us to issue a Financial Penalty on any landlord that is found to have breached these regulations.  Further information on these penalties can be found on the Councils 'About Housing Standards' page, within a document entitled Locally Adopted Charges. 

The amount of the penalty charge must not exceed £5,000.

In limited cases the Climate Change and Environment Team may take enforcement action against a landlord where they fail to carry out the necessary improvement works, and the property is let in contravention of the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015.

The Council has agreed that in the event of enforcement action being taken, the Climate Change and Environment Team will adopt the same procedure as used by the Housing Standards Team, as per the Council's Corporate Enforcement Policy, and their Locally Adopted Charges.  Both documents can be found below.