"EPC exemption" means one of two unrelated things. Either the building does not need a certificate at all, or the building needs one but the landlord is excused from the minimum-band rule. Different laws, different registers, different consequences.
Half one: buildings that never need an EPC
These fall outside the certificate requirement entirely GOV.UK:
- Places of worship
- Temporary buildings used for less than 2 years
- Stand-alone buildings with less than 50 square metres of useful floor space
- Industrial sites, workshops and non-residential agricultural buildings with low energy use
- Buildings due for demolition
- Holiday accommodation rented out less than 4 months a year or let under a licence to occupy
- Residential buildings intended for use less than 4 months a year
- Some listed buildings, conditionally: only where compliance would unacceptably alter their character or appearance Historic England. This is a test, not a blanket pass; the listed buildings page covers it honestly.
Half two: MEES exemptions for landlords
Domestic rentals in England and Wales must meet band E before they can be let GOV.UK MEES. A landlord who cannot get there can register an exemption on the PRS Exemptions Register GOV.UK. Registration is self-service but evidence-backed, and exemptions attach to the landlord, not the property: sell or inherit and the new owner starts again.
| Exemption | When it applies | Lasts |
|---|---|---|
| All relevant improvements made | You spent up to the cost cap (currently £3,500 inc VAT) and the property still sits below E | 5 years |
| High cost | No improvement could be made within the cap | 5 years |
| Wall insulation | Cavity, external or internal wall insulation is unsuitable for the building | 5 years |
| Third-party consent | A tenant, lender, superior landlord or planning authority refuses consent | 5 years or until the refusing tenancy ends |
| Property devaluation | A surveyor reports the works would cut the property's value by more than 5% | 5 years |
| New landlord | You recently became the landlord in prescribed circumstances | 6 months |
What exemption does not do
A registered MEES exemption lets you let below the floor; it does not remove the duty to hold a valid EPC when marketing, and it does not survive a change of landlord. Penalties for letting sub-E without one run to £5,000 per property GOV.UK MEES; the penalties page has the schedule. For the 2030 version of all this, see EPC C by 2030 and the landlord ruleset.