Building safety regulation and leaseholder issues may be put under pressure by EPC works
Government changes to the minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) could have “detrimental impacts” on other areas of the housing agenda, a Peabody spokesperson has warned.
Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Housing’s (CIH) Brighton conference this morning, Isobelle Connor, research and public policy manager for the G15 member, said the introduction of MEES may put pressure on issues relating to building safety and leaseholders.
She said: “I think the concern is, especially in London, [energy efficiency works] could be driving a large amount of highly disruptive and highly expensive work on high-rise and flatted buildings… and this has consequences in terms of the cost but also a lot of this work will trigger building safety [regulatory] processes.
“Similarly, this can affect leaseholders. So where you’ve got leaseholders in buildings, you’ve got to go in and do external wall insulation. That could be a huge cost to leaseholders.”
She called on the government to have a “joined up conversation” across relevant departments following its April 2026 announcement that it will introduce MEES for the social rented sector to combat fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions.
By 1 April 2030, registered providers will be required to ensure all homes reach a minimum standard on one of the fabric performance, smart readiness or heating system metrics, unless they have a valid exemption registered.
Landlords will have the flexibility to choose which of the three metrics they will meet, with a £10,000 cost cap per property between now and 2030. They will then have to meet a second metric by 2039, with an additional £10,000 cost cap between 2030 and 2039.
Connor added: “Although this policy seems very flexible, in reality, when you look at the type of stock, you’re probably working with a narrow choice of opportunities.”
She pointed out that limited roof space and structural constraints in flats can make it difficult to carry out works such as installing solar panels.
Homes meeting EPC Band C or better by 1 April 2030 will be considered compliant until their individual EPCs expire.
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