Band E: you can let this today. You are on the floor.
MEES sets today's floor at E, so an E is lettable now. Two things to watch: a renewal assessment under RdSAP 10 can score lower than your old certificate, and the confirmed 2030 rules raise the floor to C from 1 October 2030.
Band E is a SAP score of 39 to 54 GOV.UK SAP. It is the legal floor for letting a home in England and Wales: since 1 April 2020 landlords cannot let or continue to let a domestic property below E without a registered exemption GOV.UK MEES.
Is E the minimum to let today?
Yes. E passes; F and G fail. But E is a floor you are standing on, not a margin. Two pressures apply: renewal assessments under RdSAP 10 can score lower than the certificate they replace, which can tip a marginal E into F; and the floor itself rises to band C on 1 October 2030 Gov response Jan 2026.
E-rated rentals and 2030
An E-rated rental has the longest journey of any currently lettable band: two full bands to climb by 1 October 2030, within a £10,000 cost cap Gov response Jan 2026. The E versus C comparison sets the two floors side by side, and the improvement guide orders the works. If the property cannot reach the standard within the cap, a 10-year exemption route exists Gov response Jan 2026.
The current cost cap
Under today's rules the most you are required to spend getting a sub-E property to E is £3,500 including VAT; spend that and fall short and you can register an all-improvements exemption GOV.UK MEES.
| Band | SAP score | Letting today (E floor) | Letting from 1 Oct 2030 (C floor) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 92+ | Allowed | Allowed |
| B | 81-91 | Allowed | Allowed |
| C | 69-80 | Allowed | Allowed |
| D | 55-68 | Allowed | Works or exemption required |
| E | 39-54 | Allowed | Works or exemption required |
| F | 21-38 | Exemption required | Works or exemption required |
| G | 1-20 | Exemption required | Works or exemption required |
One band up: band D. One band down: band F. Or go back to the full A to G scale.