What is MEES and who does it apply to?
MEES is the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard, setting the lowest EPC band a property can legally be let at. It applies to residential and commercial lettings and is enforced by the local authority. In Warwick that is Warwick District Council, and penalties are civil and per property.
- Residential minimum: band E since April 2018, all tenancies since April 2020.
- Commercial minimum: band E, extended to continuing leases in April 2023.
- MEES bites on letting — it does not apply when you sell.
- Exemptions must be registered on the national PRS Exemptions Register.
The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) is the regulation that sets the lowest EPC band a property can legally be let at. It applies to both residential and commercial lettings, and it is enforced by the local authority — in this district, Warwick District Council.
The rules as they stand
- Residential: band E has been the minimum for new tenancies since April 2018 and for all tenancies since April 2020.
- Commercial: band E has applied to new lettings since April 2018 and to continuing leases since April 2023.
- Proposed: band C for residential lettings by 2030.
Letting a sub-standard property without a registered exemption is unlawful. Penalties are civil, calculated per property, and can be issued repeatedly for continued breach.
What MEES does not do
MEES does not require you to improve a property you live in, and it does not apply on sale. It bites on letting. It also does not apply to buildings that do not require an EPC in the first place — certain listed buildings where compliance would unacceptably alter character, temporary structures, and holiday lets meeting specific criteria. Those carve-outs are narrower than most landlords assume, and a listed building is not automatically out of scope.
The exemptions, properly
- Cost cap — where all relevant improvements would exceed the spending limit. You must still make the improvements you can afford within the cap.
- Third-party consent — where a tenant, freeholder, superior landlord or planning authority has refused consent for the works.
- Devaluation — where a RICS surveyor confirms the works would reduce market value by more than 5%.
- Wall insulation — where an independent expert confirms cavity or solid-wall insulation would damage the property.
- New landlord — a temporary six-month exemption for someone who has recently become the landlord in specific circumstances.
All of them must be registered on the national PRS Exemptions Register with supporting evidence, and most last five years. An unregistered exemption offers no protection at all.
What to do about it
Start with a current EPC so you know the real number, then get the improvement options costed and ranked. Our MEES consultancy does exactly that, and our landlord services page covers portfolio work across Warwick.
Looking for your own area? We have local EPC guides for Saltisford, Woodloes Park, Rowington, Wolverton, Warwick city centre, Forbes Estate, Wolverton, Rowington and every other Warwick area.
