Since April 2020, a privately rented home in England or Wales must normally have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rated band E or better to be let. The government plans to raise that minimum. In its response to consultation, published on 21 January 2026, it said private landlords of all tenancies will need to meet a higher standard, which it describes as EPC C, by 1 October 2030. The response says the government will seek new powers through an Act of Parliament, then regulations it aims to bring into force in 2027. Until then, the legal minimum is still band E.
We looked at the latest EPC for every home in England and Wales on the government's register, as of 2 July 2026, and counted the homes whose latest certificate is still valid and records them as privately rented. There are 3,126,280 of them, and about half are below band C.
How private rentals are rated
Most private rentals sit either side of the line. 44.0% are rated C and 38.6% are rated D. Another 11.3% are rated E. Only 5.1% are rated B or A.
Share of each tenure's homes with a valid certificate (lodged in the last 10 years), latest certificate per home, England and Wales.
Show data
| Current EPC rating | Private rented | Owner-occupied | Social rented |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 0.1% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| B | 5.0% | 7.5% | 5.6% |
| C | 44.0% | 35.6% | 63.1% |
| D | 38.6% | 41.8% | 26.9% |
| E | 11.3% | 11.5% | 3.5% |
| F | 0.7% | 2.4% | 0.4% |
| G | 0.3% | 0.7% | 0.1% |
Private rentals are not the worst-rated homes. Among owner-occupied homes with a valid certificate, 56.3% are below band C, and 3.1% are rated F or G. Social rented homes do much better: 30.9% are below C. The comparison has limits. Owner-occupied homes usually get a new certificate only when sold, so homes that have not changed hands in ten years are missing, and the band C proposal applies to private landlords only.
Homes with a valid certificate, latest certificate per home, England and Wales. Owner-occupied and social rented homes are shown for comparison; the proposed band C minimum is for private rentals.
Show data
| Tenure | Below band C (%) | Below band C, potential rating C or better (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Private rented | 50.9% | 46.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 56.3% | 53.3% |
| Social rented | 30.9% | 27.8% |
Could they reach band C?
Every EPC gives two ratings: the home's current rating and a potential rating. The potential rating is the assessor's estimate of the rating the home would reach if the improvements recommended on the certificate were carried out. It is not a cost estimate, and it does not say whether the improvements are practical, affordable or allowed, for example in a listed building.
Of the 1,591,588 private rentals below band C, 1,457,557 (91.6%) have a potential rating of C or better. That is 46.6% of all private rentals with a valid certificate. The other 134,031 are below C now, and their own certificate does not show a route to C.
The share is similar everywhere. In every region, between 87.8% (London) and 94.4% (the East Midlands) of below-C private rentals have a potential rating of C or better.
"Could reach C" here means C on today's rating scale. The future standard will be set against new EPC metrics, so a potential C on a current certificate does not show that a home would meet it. That is discussed below.
Older homes, and houses, are furthest behind
The age of a home makes the biggest difference. Three in four private rentals built before 1900 are below band C (75.1%), against 15.8% of those built between 1996 and 2006 and 7.3% of those built from 2007 onwards. Homes built before 1930 account for 822,027 of the 1,591,588 private rentals below C, just over half.
Privately rented homes with a valid certificate, by the construction age band on the certificate.
Show data
| Built | Below band C (%) |
|---|---|
| pre-1900 | 75.1% |
| 1900–1929 | 68.3% |
| 1930–1949 | 64.8% |
| 1950–1966 | 57.0% |
| 1967–1982 | 49.7% |
| 1983–1995 | 38.9% |
| 1996–2006 | 15.8% |
| 2007+ | 7.3% |
Property type matters too. Bungalows are the most likely to be below C (73.1%), followed by houses (60.0%) and maisonettes (54.1%). Flats are the least likely (39.5%), and there are almost as many privately rented flats with a valid certificate (1,428,516) as houses (1,466,276).
Privately rented homes with a valid certificate. Park homes and homes with no recorded type are left out.
Show data
| Property type | Below band C (%) |
|---|---|
| Flat | 39.5% |
| House | 60.0% |
| Maisonette | 54.1% |
| Bungalow | 73.1% |
Where the gap is largest
Wales has the highest share of private rentals below band C (59.0%), followed by Yorkshire and The Humber (56.5%), the East Midlands (56.0%) and the West Midlands (55.3%). London has the lowest (45.0%), although it has the most private rentals with a valid certificate: 735,348.
Privately rented homes with a valid certificate. The second bar is the share of all of a region's private rentals that are below band C now but whose certificate gives a potential rating of C or better. Each region's share counts every home in it.
Show data
| Region | Below band C (%) | Below band C, potential rating C or better (%) |
|---|---|---|
| North East | 47.4% | 44.1% |
| North West | 50.0% | 46.0% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 56.5% | 53.1% |
| East Midlands | 56.0% | 52.8% |
| West Midlands | 55.3% | 51.6% |
| East of England | 51.4% | 47.6% |
| London | 45.0% | 39.5% |
| South East | 49.6% | 45.2% |
| South West | 53.0% | 48.3% |
| Wales | 59.0% | 55.2% |
Seven of the 15 councils with the highest shares are in Wales. On the Isle of Anglesey, 80.1% of private rentals with a valid certificate are below C, and in Derbyshire Dales, Gwynedd, Ceredigion and North Norfolk the share is between 73.0% and 74.7%.
Privately rented homes with a valid certificate. Councils with fewer than 1,000 such certificates are left out.
Show data
| Local authority | Below band C (%) |
|---|---|
| Isle of Anglesey | 80.1% |
| Derbyshire Dales | 74.7% |
| Gwynedd | 73.7% |
| Ceredigion | 73.6% |
| North Norfolk | 73.0% |
| Powys | 71.5% |
| Ribble Valley | 71.1% |
| Cotswold | 70.4% |
| Westmorland and Furness | 68.7% |
| Pembrokeshire | 68.7% |
| Maldon | 68.2% |
| Denbighshire | 67.8% |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 66.8% |
| South Hams | 66.7% |
| Carmarthenshire | 66.3% |
At the other end are inner London and a number of towns. Tower Hamlets is lowest, at 23.2%, followed by Rushmoor and the City of London (both 33.8%), Southwark (34.5%) and Swindon (34.7%). Hackney and Islington are also in the lowest 15, as are Milton Keynes, Telford and Wrekin, Welwyn Hatfield and Bracknell Forest. That fits the pattern above: places with more flats and newer homes are likely to have fewer rentals below C, though these figures do not break each council down by age or type.
Privately rented homes with a valid certificate. Councils with fewer than 1,000 such certificates are left out.
Show data
| Local authority | Below band C (%) |
|---|---|
| Tower Hamlets | 23.2% |
| Rushmoor | 33.8% |
| City of London | 33.8% |
| Southwark | 34.5% |
| Swindon | 34.7% |
| Hackney | 35.0% |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 35.2% |
| Salford | 35.2% |
| Milton Keynes | 36.8% |
| Eastleigh | 36.9% |
| Telford and Wrekin | 37.7% |
| Islington | 37.9% |
| Knowsley | 38.0% |
| Bracknell Forest | 38.2% |
| Woking | 38.6% |
Launch areas
Among the councils where PropertyExtra has launch areas, Wolverhampton (60.8%) and Leicester (60.6%) have the highest shares of private rentals below band C, both above every regional figure. Walsall follows at 54.8%, then Oldham (50.9%), Sheffield (50.3%) and Bristol (48.7%). Liverpool (44.0%), Manchester (41.6%) and Newcastle upon Tyne (40.6%) have the lowest. In each of them, between 90.2% and 95.3% of below-C private rentals have a potential rating of C or better. These councils are examples, not a sample: PropertyExtra chose them.
Each launch area's main local authority. Privately rented homes with a valid certificate.
Show data
| Launch area | Below band C (%) |
|---|---|
| Wolverhampton | 60.8% |
| Leicester | 60.6% |
| Walsall | 54.8% |
| Oldham | 50.9% |
| Sheffield | 50.3% |
| Bristol | 48.7% |
| Liverpool | 44.0% |
| Manchester | 41.6% |
| Newcastle | 40.6% |
Homes below today's minimum
30,194 privately rented homes with a valid certificate (1.0%) are rated F or G, below the band E minimum that applies now: 21,110 rated F and 9,084 rated G. That does not mean they are being let unlawfully. The rules allow a landlord to register an exemption, for example where the landlord has spent up to the £3,500 cap (including VAT) without reaching band E, and the tenure on a certificate can be out of date: a home recorded as privately rented when it was assessed may since have been sold or lived in by its owner. The rules also cover only certain tenancies, and a certificate may predate improvements made since. The register does not show which applies.
F and G ratings are most common in older homes, bungalows, Wales and the South West. 3.6% of private rentals built before 1900 are rated F or G, and 2.7% of bungalows. In Wales 2.1% of private rentals are rated F or G, and in the South West 1.8%, against 0.3% in London. In some councils the share is much higher: 10.6% on the Isle of Anglesey and 8.1% in Gwynedd.
Newer certificates, better ratings?
Private rentals whose latest certificate was lodged in 2013 to 2016 are 74.6% to 76.4% below band C. For those whose latest certificate was lodged in 2025, the share is 38.0%, and in 2026 to 2 July, 36.9%.
Latest certificate per privately rented home, whatever its age. The first and last years are part-years.
Show data
| Year lodged | Below band C (%) |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 68.9% |
| 2013 | 74.7% |
| 2014 | 75.3% |
| 2015 | 76.4% |
| 2016 | 74.6% |
| 2017 | 68.0% |
| 2018 | 63.5% |
| 2019 | 57.2% |
| 2020 | 56.3% |
| 2021 | 52.4% |
| 2022 | 47.0% |
| 2023 | 43.5% |
| 2024 | 43.2% |
| 2025 | 38.0% |
| 2026 | 36.9% |
This is not a clean measure of homes improving. Each home appears once, in the year of its latest certificate. A home with an old certificate is one that has not needed a new one, often because it has not been re-let or sold, while recent years include new-build homes and homes re-assessed after improvements. The way ratings are calculated has also changed over the years: the latest version of the assessment method for existing homes, RdSAP 10, came into use in June 2025. So differences between years mix changes in the homes with changes in which homes get certified, and in how they are rated. This chart uses every home's latest certificate, including expired ones; the rest of the article uses valid certificates only.
What it means for landlords and investors
This section describes what the register shows. It is not financial or legal advice.
About half of privately rented homes with a valid EPC are below band C on today's rating, and most of those have a certificate that says they could reach it. The government's January 2026 response sets out how the higher standard is meant to work, subject to legislation:
- Landlords will be required to spend up to £10,000 per property on improvements, over a 10-year period, with spending since 1 October 2025 counting towards it. For properties valued below £100,000, the cap will be 10% of the property's value.
- A home that scores C or better on the current rating scale, on an EPC issued before 1 October 2029, will be treated as meeting the new standard until that certificate expires or is replaced.
- Other homes will be assessed against new EPC metrics, with a primary standard for the fabric of the building and a second standard for either the heating system or smart readiness.
- Landlords who reach the cap without meeting the standard will be able to register an exemption.
Timing matters because certificates expire after ten years. Of the private rentals with a valid certificate today, 47.4% were lodged more than five years before 2 July 2026. New-style EPCs showing the new metrics were due from October 2026; in March 2026 the government moved their launch to the second half of 2027.
These figures describe certificates, not the homes as they are today. A certificate records the home at the time of its assessment, and assessments for existing homes rely on a reduced set of data and standard assumptions where details cannot be seen.
Methodology & sources
What is counted. The latest Energy Performance Certificate for each home on the EPC register for England and Wales, as downloaded with a latest lodgement date of 2 July 2026. A home is identified by its Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN), or where there is none by its postcode and first address line; earlier certificates for the same home are ignored. A home counts as privately rented, owner-occupied or social rented according to the tenure recorded on its latest certificate. The register has no tenure on certificates lodged before 30 September 2012, so homes whose latest certificate is older than that cannot be placed in a tenure; none of those certificates would still be valid. Certificates with tenure recorded as unknown or left blank cannot be placed in a tenure and are not counted: about 1.86 million valid certificates (13%) record tenure as unknown. Some of those homes will be privately rented, so the true number of private rentals below band C is likely higher. Where a home has two certificates lodged on the same day, both are counted; this affects a small number of homes.
Valid certificates. An EPC is valid for ten years. A certificate counts as valid if it was lodged within ten years of 2 July 2026 (the latest lodgement in the register), that is, from 3 July 2016. Every chart except the chart by year lodged uses valid certificates only. Of the homes whose latest certificate records them as privately rented, 354,836 have a certificate lodged before then and are left out as expired. The chart by year lodged uses every home's latest certificate whatever its age: 3,481,116 privately rented homes.
Place. Each certificate is placed in England or Wales, and in a local authority, by its postcode, using the ONS Postcode Directory. 4,625 privately rented homes whose postcode is not in England or Wales in the directory (usually a postcode that has been withdrawn or mistyped) are left out. A further 143 could not be placed in a local authority or region and are left out of the regional and council figures. Each English council is placed in its ONS region; Wales is one group. Councils with fewer than 1,000 privately rented homes with a valid certificate, among them the Isles of Scilly, are left out of the two council rankings. Launch-area figures use the council that covers most of each launch area.
Ratings. "Below band C" means a current rating of D, E, F or G. "Could reach band C" means the certificate's potential rating is A, B or C; a missing potential rating counts as not reaching C. Every certificate counted has a current rating of A to G. The chart by property type leaves out 851 park homes and homes with no recorded type. Construction age bands are grouped as: before 1900; 1900–1929; 1930–1949; 1950–1966; 1967–1982; 1983–1995; 1996–2006; 2007 onwards.
Limits. An EPC is a modelled estimate made on the day of the assessment. Assessments of existing homes use RdSAP, a reduced-data method that fills in standard assumptions for details the assessor cannot see, and assessors can reach different results for the same home. The method has been revised over time, most recently to RdSAP 10 in June 2025, so certificates from different years are not strictly like for like. Tenure is as recorded when the certificate was made and may have changed since. Homes that have not been sold or let in the last ten years usually have no valid certificate and are not counted.
The law and policy. The current minimum is set by the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015, as described in GOV.UK's "Domestic private rented property: minimum energy efficiency standard – landlord guidance" (updated 5 May 2026). The planned band C standard is from the government response "Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes" (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 21 January 2026). EPC validity and the timing of new-style EPCs are from "Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime: partial government response" (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 21 January 2026, with an update on 9 March 2026 moving the launch of new-style EPCs to the second half of 2027). The RdSAP 10 date is from "Methodologies for expressing the energy performance of buildings in England and Wales: notice of approval" (15 June 2025).
Sources. Energy Performance of Buildings Data, England and Wales, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Address and postcode data © Ordnance Survey and Royal Mail, used under MHCLG's copyright and database right notice. ONS Postcode Directory: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0.