The Landlord EPC Compliance Checklist: 2026 Edition

Most landlord EPC problems are not caused by the 2030 rules; they are caused by finding out about them in 2029. This checklist is the whole job in ten steps, in the order that costs the least. Work through it once this year and the deadline becomes admin rather than crisis.

The checklist

1. Pull every certificate. Look up each property on the government's Find an Energy Certificate service. No certificate at all? That needs fixing regardless, an EPC is legally required to let.
2. Record three numbers per property: the score (a D68 and a D55 are different problems), the expiry date, and the count of "assumed" or "not recorded" entries.
3. Sort the portfolio into four piles. C or above: done, diarise the expiry. D63 to D68: measurement candidates. D55 to D62: combination cases. E and below: works required.
4. Screen the measurement candidates. Mid-to-high D certificates with assumed values are frequently underscoring the building. The measured route corrects them for £500 flat, charged only if the C is lodged, with no building work. Why this works is covered in our assumed values guide.
5. Price the rest before committing. Use the cost comparison: fabric basics first, then grant-funded heating. Get the certificate reviewed before buying anything.
6. Use the grant while it is live. The £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme funds heat pumps on rentals and does not count against your £10,000 cost cap.
7. Handle flats individually. Each self-contained flat is its own EPC and can be tested on its own, no freeholder project required. See the flats and HMOs guide.
8. File every invoice and report per property. The evidence serves compliance now and a cost-cap exemption later if a property genuinely cannot get there.
9. Mind the 2027 methodology change. The Home Energy Model scraps assumed defaults in the second half of 2027, so the cheapest correction route has a shelf life.
10. Diarise everything: certificate expiries, exemption renewals, and a portfolio re-check each spring. A C lodged before 1 October 2029 is recognised until it expires.

The one mistake to avoid

Do not start with the most expensive fix. The order above exists because each step can make the next one unnecessary: an accurate certificate may already be a C, a measured test may deliver it for £500, and a grant may fund the heating before your own capital is touched. Spending £10,000 to discover the certificate was wrong all along is the outcome this checklist exists to prevent.

Frequently asked questions