New EPC rating rules
are changing the landlord’s ability to let
- New EPC regulations are in the cooking pot.
- As of January 2026, 50% of welsh private rental sector property fails to meet the proposed standards and would not be permitted to continue to be let beyond 2030.
- New EPC regulations are in the cooking pot.
- At a meeting with Torsten Bell MP for Swansea in October 2025, Landlords in Wales raised with him two questions of importance out of 10 submitted, with a request that the MP please take these forward. The questions were:
- To acknowledge the poorer demographic of many Welsh Landlords.
A universal spend threshold was proposed by national government before becoming eligible for exemption from these new more stringent standards. This would weigh disproportionately heavily on landlords in poorer areas who also manage perhaps harder-to-upgrade properties, such as those in Wales?
And - A discordance arose between national government and Welsh government law. Could this please be looked at?
The grants for energy improvement measures (required in particular to comply with the proposed upgraded EPC requirements) are means-tested. They are offered to tenants as occupiers, and not to the landlord or owner.
Recent devolved Welsh rental legislation under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act strengthened tenant rights. This encourages landlords to bias towards ‘gold plated’ tenants for the contractual relationships they create with new “Contract Holders” going forward. Landlords naturally want ones that will not abuse those rights. However, such tenants are less likely to qualify for grants. This creates a practical conflict between the devolved legislation and the new regulation the UK government wants to implement. What can the government do to help?
Well, it has come to Landlords in Wales‘ attention that the proposed rules have been revised as follows:
- The 2028 deadline for new tenancies has been scrapped.
- All landlords now have until 1 October 2030 to reach EPC C (or register an exemption), regardless of whether tenants are new or existing.
- The spending cap has been cut from £15,000 to £10,000 per property, with lower caps for homes worth under £100,000.
- Energy efficiency improvements made from October 2025 will count toward the spending cap.
- The Government will offer support via low-interest loans.
- A “fabric first” approach will be encouraged, focusing on insulation and windows.
- EPC certificates will now be valid for 10 years instead of five, meaning any property that achieves EPC C (or above) before October 2029 will be treated as compliant through to 2039.
So, congratulations to the UK government – it appears you do listen, sometimes.
And thank you, Mr Bell, if you have been a part of this…
