Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) Report Information

Properties exempt from MEES

There are several reasons why a property may be exempt from needing to comply with the MEES legislation. If your property falls into one of these categories, then you can apply to have it added to the MEES Exemptions Register.

It is important to note that one of the key bits of information required to apply to be added to this register is a valid EPC. This means that if you are applying for an exemption for a property which would not normally require an EPC, such as listed building, then for the purposes of your MEES exemption application you will need to have a valid EPC in place.

All categories of exemption except the ‘New Landlord’ Exemption are valid for a period of 5 years. After this period the landlord again endeavour to improve the property’s EPC rating to meet the minimum standards. If this cannot be achieved then a further exemption may be able to be applied for.

Your building may be classified as exempt from MEES legislation for one of the following reasons:

• ‘High cost’ Exemption may apply in cases where the cheapest of the improvements recommended for the property would cost over £3500 to implement, as evidenced by official quotes from 3 separate installers. This exemption only applies to domestic property.
• ‘7 Year Payback’ Exemption may apply where it can be demonstrated that the cost of energy efficiency measures required to bring the property up to standard will not pay for themselves through savings made on your energy bills within a 7 year timeframe. This exemption only applies to non-domestic property.
• ‘All Improvements Made’ Exemption may apply where it can be demonstrated that all ‘relevant energy efficiency improvements that can be made to the property have been carried out, but the property still has an EPC rating of below an E. This exemption applies to domestic and non-domestic property.
• ‘Wall Insulation’ Exemption may apply where wall insulation is required to bring the property up to standard, but for technical reasons cavity, internal or external insulation systems are not suitable for the specific property in question. This exemption applies to domestic and non-domestic property.
• ‘Consent’ Exemption may apply where third party consent would be required to install recommended measures, such as in the case of planning permission being needed for the installation of solar panels, but consent has been refused. This exemption applies to domestic and non-domestic property.
• ‘Devaluation’ Exemption may apply where it can be demonstrated (through an independent valuation by a RICS surveyor) that installation of recommended energy efficiency measures will devalue the property by over 5%. This exemption applies to domestic and non-domestic property.
• ‘New Landlord’ Exemption may apply in specific circumstances where a person has become a landlord suddenly, such as when a new lease has been deemed created by operation of law, or a lease has been granted due to a contractual obligation. If applied for successfully this category of exemption is valid for a period of 6 months.

For a full breakdown of each exemption and to find out if you can apply, check out our MEES Exemption Guide.

MEES Legislation Updates

In previous years, there has been consultation around bringing in more regulations in regards to the energy efficiency of properties, including raising the minimum rating for rental properties to EPC band C for domestic and B for Commercial buildings.

The previous government put these updates on hold in 2023, however it is expected that the current government will reintroduce them in some form.

We’re keeping up on all the updates regarding this and have a page dedicated to MEES Legislation Updates, where we share information and confirmed news.