EPC C for Landlords: What's Actually Required by 2030 (and Why the "2028" Deadline Is Wrong)

The short answer

Right now, a rented home in England must have an EPC rating of at least E to be let. The government intends to raise that to EPC C (or equivalent) for all tenancies by 1 October 2030, with a cost cap of around £10,000 per property. Crucially, this is policy, not yet law — the legislation is expected around 2027. And the "EPC C for new tenancies by 2028" deadline you'll see quoted all over the place has been dropped.

Why the 2028 date is wrong

An earlier consultation proposed EPC C for new tenancies from 2028 and all tenancies from 2030. That staged 2028 step was scrapped. The current position (from the government's January 2026 response on private-rented-sector energy efficiency) is a single target: all tenancies by 2030. Many landlord blogs and even some agents still repeat the old 2028 figure — if you're planning works around it, you're planning around a deadline that no longer exists.

What "EPC C by 2030" actually means for you

• It applies to all let properties in England by 1 October 2030, not just new tenancies.
• There's a proposed cost cap (~£10,000 per property) — you shouldn't have to spend beyond it, and there will be exemptions.
• Because it isn't law yet, the fine detail (exemptions, how the cap works, the exact metric) could still shift when the legislation lands. Treat it as "plan for", not "comply now."

What to do now (without panic-spending)

1. Check each property's current EPC — rating and expiry. You can look it up on the official EPC register.
2. If you're below C, get a retrofit assessment and map out the cheapest route to C (insulation, heating controls, etc.).
3. Sequence the work early. The single biggest risk isn't the standard — it's leaving it to 2029 and hitting a contractor and materials crunch as every other landlord does the same.
4. Keep receipts and evidence — the cost cap and any exemption will depend on what you've spent.
5. Don't spend against the dead 2028 date. Plan calmly toward 2030.

The bigger picture

EPC C is one of three regulatory waves hitting landlords at once — alongside Making Tax Digital (quarterly tax filing) and the Renters' Rights Act 2025 (Section 21 abolished, in force now). They all have different dates, and missing any of them is expensive.

Free: We keep EPC, MTD and the Renters' Rights Act deadlines on one dated page — the 2026/27 UK Landlord Compliance Calendar. Grab it and stop guessing which date is real.

Information, not legal or tax advice. Verified 6 July 2026 against GOV.UK and the DESNZ government response (Jan 2026). England only.