Update to the Roll out of Minimum EPC Standards for Rental Properties
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government placed a pause on the introduction of minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) standards across rental properties in Scotland due to the disruption of the Coronavirus Pandemic.
Legislation had been passed in 2020 and a roll out of minimum standards was expected from Spring 2020, with a gradual tightening of standards until 2025, however this was put on hold.
Roll out to recommence but with some changes
The Government has announced proposals to get things moving again. Previous proposals requiring rental properties to achieve a minimum EPC standard of D from 2022 will no longer be taken forward. Instead, the Scottish Government plans to introduce a minimum EPC rating of C at any change of tenancy from 2025. All rental properties (regardless of whether a tenant has moved out or not) will have to reach the minimum C standard by 2028, with some exemptions for properties where it’s not feasible to do so.
This simple 2 step implementation supersedes the more confusing multi-stepped transition the Government had previously laid out to raise EPC standards in the rental sector.
Energy efficiency standards to be raised across all housing tenures
The Government will open up a consultation in 2022 towards legislating for a requirement that all properties, not just rental properties, meet a future minimum EPC standard of C, alongside a proposed zero emissions heat standard.