Landlords- Are you aware of the new MEES regulations for rented property?

From April 1st this year the Minimum Level of Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) regulations require landlords of privately rented domestic and commercial property to ensure that their property meets an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E before granting a new tenancy to new or existing tenants. The Government guidance runs to 99 pages and it would be easy to miss something that applies to your properties.  Here are a few important points to take into account:

• For properties where there has been no change of tenancy agreement MEES will apply to domestic properties from 1st April 2020, and for commercial from 1st April 2023. Planning ahead as part of your maintenance schedule is the best way to keep your properties compliant and spread any required work.
• The current guidance states that an EPC is not required on a lease renewal. After April 1st this is no longer the case and lease renewals will not be excluded. If you are a landlord of commercial properties with security of tenure then you may need to consider how you handle lease renewals.
• Local Weights and Measures Authorities will be enforcing the regulations and there are fines for non compliance with MEES with a minimum fine for domestic properties of £2000.

In case you are looking to improve your EPC rating here are a few steps you could take:

Roof Insulation
Heat rises, so improving your loft or roof space insulation is an easy way to retain more of it.
The recommended depth for insulation is 270mm, so if you have 100mm or less then you could be losing up to a quarter of your heat through the ceiling.

Wall Insulation
Most houses built after 1920 have cavity walls, as do many commercial buildings. Up to 35% of heat loss can be through external walls, so cavity wall insulation is another relatively straightforward way of improving the energy efficiency of a building.

Heating System
An older less efficient boiler will cost more to run and have an impact on your EPC. While replacing a boiler can seem expensive payback period may not be all that long when fuel savings are taken into account. It may also be cost effective to look at replacing the Boiler Programmer and adding a room thermostat and radiator thermostatic valves to improve the EPC. Keeping servicing up to date means your heating system will be working as efficiently as possible.

Lighting
Replacing old style filament bulbs and halogen lamps with LED or other energy saving lighting will be a simple and inexpensive way of improving the energy rating of your property.

There are other ways of improving your EPC which can be added to repair and renovation plans including window repair or replacement, renewable energy options and modern energy efficient building materials.

We hope you found this introduction to MEES useful. Do give us a call if you need some further help.

Categorised in: Landlords

This post was written by Express Property Services