Band F: you cannot let this without a registered exemption.
Bands F and G sit below the MEES floor of E that has applied to all domestic lets in England and Wales since 1 April 2020. Letting a sub-E property without a valid exemption on the PRS Exemptions Register risks penalties of up to £5,000 per property. Improve it to E or register an exemption first.
Band F is a SAP score of 21 to 38 GOV.UK SAP. For landlords it is the wrong side of the line: domestic property below band E cannot be let in England and Wales without a valid exemption on the PRS Exemptions Register GOV.UK MEES.
Letting a band F property
Without an exemption, letting an F is a breach. Penalties run up to £5,000 per property: up to £2,000 for a breach under three months, up to £4,000 beyond that, plus publication penalties GOV.UK MEES. Enforcement sits with local authorities. Selling an F is legal; only letting is restricted.
The exemption route
If you spend up to the £3,500 cost cap and the property still cannot reach E, you can register an all-relevant-improvements exemption, valid for 5 years GOV.UK MEES. Other routes cover third-party consent, devaluation and wall-insulation suitability; the exemptions page walks each one.
Getting an F to an E
F-rated homes usually have obvious gaps: no loft insulation, uninsulated walls, an old heating system, single glazing. That is bleak reading but useful, because the first measures on the certificate's recommendation list GOV.UK tend to move an F several SAP points at once. Only 9% of English dwellings remain in bands E to G combined EHS 2023-24, so the stock is emptying out below you.
| 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 E. One band down: band G. Or go back to the full A to G scale.