A county council is threatening landlords to issue Compliancy Notices if their properties fall below the necessary energy efficiency requirements as part of its campaign against ‘sub-standard’ rented homes.

In April 2020 regulations were introduced making it an offence if landlords let out rented homes by either taking on a new tenancy or continuing an existing tenancy if the property’s EPC rating was below E, unless in a few cases the property was considered exempt.

Shropshire council has contacted those landlords whose properties failed to meet the required EPC rating to make sure they carry out the necessary work to reach the requirement, or if applicable help them with applying for an exemption.

Council teams are busy carrying out investigations to find any possible breaches of MEES regulations and if landlords fail to follow its instructions to make sure their property is brought up to scratch, then enforcement measures will follow.

If a property is being let out and in breach of the regulations or the landlord has registered an invalid exemption the council could issue a compliancy notice requesting further details. 

However if the council’s team confirms that a breach has been committed and failed to be rectified, the landlord could face a fine of up to £5,000.

A spokesperson for the council says: “Improving energy efficiency in any property – rented or otherwise – is more important than ever, as we all face higher utility bills.

“Reducing heat loss through better insulation and installing more energy efficient and low carbon heating and lighting will not only help to significantly reduce energy bills, but will also reduce carbon emissions, which is vitally important if we are to mitigate the effects of climate change.

“We know most landlords are responsible and are willing to comply with their obligations to ensure tenants have warm homes that are not cold and damp, which will help to improve their health and wellbeing; but we will not hesitate to take action against those landlords who breach the rules.