What if I don’t comply with MEES?
Check if your property is affected?
If a landlord fails to comply with the new MEES regulations, they risk a financial penalty. This can vary depending upon the length of the breach.
- A landlord renting out a “non-compliant” property (less than three months in breach) may be fined up to either £5,000 or 10% of a rateable value up to a maximum of £50,000, whichever is greater.
- A landlord renting out a “non-compliant” property (three months or more in breach) may be fined up to either £10,000 or 20% of the rateable value up to a maximum of £150,000, whichever is greater.
- There is also a fine of up to £5,000 for providing false or misleading information or failing to comply with a compliance notice.
You can check to see if an exemption is already registered and if it is an exemption type that will be cancelled. You can do this by visiting the PRS Exemption Register and search using the property’s postcode.
https://prsregister.beis.gov.uk/NdsBeisUi/register-search-exemptions
This is the exemption that will be cancelled. If you registered any exemptions in this time and under this rule, they will not last for the 5 years you would be expecting. They will be cancelled on 31st March 2020 and will need re-assessing.
The updated ‘Regulation 25’ is ‘all improvements have been made and the property remains below an E’. If you have an exemption registered on this basis, you need to take no further action at this time. The exemption should last for 5 years from the time it was registered.
How we can help?
- Run through and analyse your existing EPCs
- Give advice and guidance on compliance and exemption reports
- Assess, access and facilitate relevant funding opportunities and installations such as;
- Cavity wall insulation (75% of installs fully funded)
- Loft insulation (75% of installs fully funded)
- Gas central heating install with gas connection, A rated boiler, radiators and heating controls (95% of installs fully funded)
- High heat retention electric storage heaters (funding 30%-50% of install costs when replacing on peak heaters)
- Low energy LED lights
- Hot water cylinder jackets
- Draught proofing
What are the costs?
- EPC £40 plus VAT
- If you have a current EPC, the cost of a full MEES compliance report is £109 plus VAT
- If you require both an EPC and the report, the cost of a full MEES compliance report is is £149 plus VAT
Currently, many privately rented properties in the BCP Council area, with a D or E EPC rating (regardless of tenants circumstances), will qualify for some funding towards insulation and heating measures! This is just one example of the additional criteria that opens up funding to more tenants locally for these improvements.
