Local authorities in England and Wales have failed to show a single enforcement proceeding over the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards, which prohibit landlords from leasing commercial property with a “sub-standard” EPC and which came into force last April.
A Freedom of Information request to every local authority in England and Wales showed that 204 of the 377 councils reported no enforcement proceedings or prosecutions, and the rest were either not responsible (as a result of being lower-tier councils that did not deal with energy efficiency matters) or did not hold the information.
MEES requires commercial properties to have an EPC rating of at least E before a new lease can be agreed. From 2023, MEES will extend to ongoing leases, which means landlords cannot continue to let a sub-standard building.
Councils reported that there was some confusion around the regulations and it was not made a priority partly because of a lack of funding.
A spokesperson for Leicester City Council said EPC matters were a “low priority”, adding: “We note that no additional resources were provided to local weights and measures authorities in order to take up the additional burden of the legislation, and it was introduced at a time when regulatory interventions/staff establishments have been reduced due to reductions of revenue funding.”
Click here for more on MEES and its impact one year on from its introduction.
