What are the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES)?

The MEES is a new piece of legislation that takes effect from the 1^st April 2018.

The legislation affects landlords – the core of the legislation is that landlords will not be able to let properties that have an EPC rating of lower than E. There are two key dates:

• 1^st April 2018 – no new tenancies can be started if the property is below an E rating.
• 1^st April 2020 – all tenancies are affected from this date – i.e., no lets can happen where a property is below an E rating.

What happens if you don’t comply with the legislation?

• Your property cannot legally be let
• A (maximum) fine of £5,000 can be levied against landlords who continue to let a property with an EPC rating lower than E

There are some exemptions from the scheme that you should be aware of:

• No improvement possible or payback for the improvement is greater than 7 years
• 3^rd party consent cannot be obtained
• Where improvements would reduce a property value by greater than 5%
• For short term leases

Be Careful With E Ratings

If your landlord currently has an E rating they may still be caught by the legislation….

There were two changes to the way EPCs are calculated, one in 2012 and one in 2014. This means that if your landlord had an EPC before those dates the changes in data calculation may well mean they are now F rated, and would therefore be affected by the new legislation.

Our advice is to check your E ratings where the EPC is pre January 2015.