What MEES exemptions can a landlord register?
There are five grounds: the cost cap, a refused third-party consent, devaluation confirmed by a RICS surveyor, wall insulation that would damage the property, and a temporary new-landlord exemption. All must be registered on the national PRS Exemptions Register, and most expire after five years.
- An unregistered exemption offers no defence against a penalty.
- The cost cap limits required spend but does not permit doing nothing.
- Refused consent must be evidenced in writing.
- Listed buildings are not automatically exempt.
Exemptions from the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard exist, but they are narrower than most landlords assume, they all require evidence, and none of them work unless registered on the national PRS Exemptions Register. An exemption you believe you qualify for but have not registered is not an exemption.
The grounds
- Cost cap. Where all relevant improvements would exceed the spending limit. You must still carry out whatever improvements fit within the cap — this is not a licence to do nothing. Lasts five years.
- Third-party consent. Where a tenant, freeholder, superior landlord, lender or planning authority has refused consent, or granted it on unreasonable conditions. You need the refusal in writing. Lasts five years, or until the tenancy ends where it was the tenant who refused.
- Devaluation. Where an independent RICS surveyor confirms in writing that the works would reduce the property’s market value by more than 5%. Lasts five years.
- Wall insulation. Where an independent installer or surveyor confirms cavity or solid-wall insulation would damage the property or its fabric. Relevant to a good deal of the older stock in the Dunsmore villages. Lasts five years.
- New landlord. A temporary six-month exemption for someone who has recently become a landlord in defined circumstances — inheritance, a lease ending, or purchasing with a sitting tenant. It is breathing space, not a solution.
What registering involves
Each registration needs the property address, the exemption type, the supporting evidence, and the EPC. Registrations are public. The register is checked by enforcement officers, and an unregistered exemption offers no defence to a penalty.
Where landlords go wrong
- Assuming a listed building is automatically exempt. It is not — the test is whether compliance would unacceptably alter character or appearance.
- Treating the cost cap as a blanket opt-out rather than a ceiling on required spend.
- Relying on a verbal refusal of consent instead of getting it in writing.
- Letting a five-year exemption lapse without re-assessing.
Take advice before relying on one
Our MEES consultancy assesses whether an exemption genuinely applies and what evidence it needs — and, more often than not, finds a compliant route that costs less than the exemption process. See also landlord services.
Looking for your own area? We have local EPC guides for Newbold on Avon, Overslade, Kings Newnham, Monks Kirby, Rugby town centre, Long Lawford, Brinklow, Bourton on Dunsmore and every other Rugby area.
