Announcement comes just days after high-level roundtable between UK100 members and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Minister Baroness Dr Taylor of Stevenage.
Proposals could lift 500,000 out of fuel poverty but delayed timeline and lack of local authority enforcement risks leaving renters in the cold.
LONDON, 7 February 2025 — UK100, the UK's only cross-party network of local and regional authority leaders committed to ambitious climate action, today welcomed the government's announcement on rental property energy standards while warning that the delayed timeline risks leaving renters in cold homes for longer.
The previous government had originally announced its intention to introduce the same standards in 2027, before delaying their implementation until 2028.
Responding to the announcement that private landlords must achieve EPC C ratings by 2030, Christopher Hammond, Chief Executive of UK100, says:
"With up to 44% of renters living in fuel poverty, the urgency for action from government, councils, landlords and tenants is clear. While we welcome the government's commitment to improving rental property standards, pushing back the deadline to 2030 risks thousands of renters still being stuck in cold, expensive-to-heat homes for longer than necessary.”
"Having a new standard is one thing. Enforcing it is another. Councils lack the resources to inspect, advise, and serve notices to those homes that won’t comply with the code. Research shows only 17 out of 268 councils have been able to take any enforcement action on the current standards due to capacity constraints. The government must ensure councils are equipped to turn these new rules into warmer homes and lower bills for renters in communities across the country.
"We’re pleased to see this move come alongside the already announced consultation on reforming EPCs — which is a vital step forward. The current system is outdated and not fit for purpose. It can penalise low-carbon heating and create perverse incentives. Getting this reform right will be crucial for delivering genuinely efficient, affordable homes and supporting landlords to invest."
Just two weeks ago, UK100 convened local leaders with Minister Baroness Taylor to discuss warm homes, built environment decarbonisation and planning. The roundtable highlighted the urgent need for both stronger energy efficiency standards and better resources for local authorities to help deliver them.
UK100's recent "Local Net Zero 2.0" report highlighted the importance of EPC reform, while outlining how a local-led retrofit programme could create thousands of green jobs across the country.
To maximise the impact of these new standards, UK100 calls for:
- A central database of rental properties and their EPCs to help councils track compliance
- Dedicated funding for local authorities to enforce standards effectively
- Reform of EPCs to better reflect real energy use and low-carbon heating
- Support for councils to develop area-wide retrofit programmes
Liam Ward, Advocacy and Communications Manager on liam.ward@uk100.org
