MEES exemptions for commercial landlords: the full list and how to register

How do MEES exemptions work?

An exemption lets a landlord let, or keep letting, a building rated F or G without breaching MEES. It has to be registered on the government's PRS Exemptions Register by the landlord or their agent before it can be relied on. Registration is self-certified: the landlord uploads the evidence and declares the exemption applies. It takes effect from the moment it's registered, not before.

Two cases need no exemption. A building that isn't covered by the regulations (for example, one that doesn't legally need an EPC, or isn't let on a relevant tenancy) can be let at F or G anyway. And a building already improved to E or better doesn't go on the register.

The register is public. Anyone can search it for exempt properties and for penalties issued to landlords. Under regulation 36, the register can publish the property's address, the landlord's name where the landlord isn't an individual, the exemption relied on and a copy of the EPC.

Which exemptions are there?

How does the 7-year payback test work?

A measure, or a package of measures, fails the test when the expected value of the energy bill savings over 7 years, starting from when it's installed, is less than the cost of buying and installing it. The formula is in regulation 28 and is worked through in chapter 2 of the full landlord guidance.

The measures in question are those recommended for the building in its EPC recommendation report, a report prepared by a surveyor, or a Green Deal advice report. To register the exemption, the landlord uploads 3 quotes from qualified installers, confirms the measures fail the test, and uploads the calculations.

The 3-quotes rule has drawn criticism. In the 2021 consultation, the government said respondents largely found it "overly burdensome" and floated a standardised payback calculator instead. The June 2026 interim response says the payback test will remain, but not whether it will change. Until new rules are made, the 3 quotes are still required.

When can a landlord rely on third-party consent?

When the improvements need someone else's consent and, despite reasonable efforts, it can't be obtained or comes with conditions the landlord can't reasonably meet. The guidance names tenants, superior landlords, mortgagees, freeholders and planning departments. The evidence is the correspondence: a letter from the tenant, say, or a planning decision notice.

It lasts 5 years, except where the tenant refused: then it lasts until that tenancy ends or is assigned to a new tenant. On a multi-let estate, works to one unit may need consent from its tenant or from a superior landlord, so this exemption can matter there.

How does the devaluation exemption work?

If installing the relevant improvements would reduce the market value of the property, or the building it forms part of, by more than 5%, the landlord can register a 5-year exemption. The evidence is a report by an independent surveyor on the RICS register of valuers. More on valuers' role is in MEES and valuation.

What about wall insulation and "all improvements made"?

The wall insulation exemption applies where the only relevant improvements are cavity, external or internal wall insulation and a relevant expert advises, in writing, that they would have a negative impact on the fabric or structure of the property or its building.

The "all improvements made" exemption applies where every relevant improvement has been made, or there are none that can be, and the building is still below E. The landlord can usually rely on the EPC itself as evidence. Both last 5 years.

Who gets the temporary 6-month exemption?

Regulation 33 gives a 6-month exemption, from the date someone becomes the landlord, in these circumstances:

• a lease granted under a contractual obligation;
• a tenant's insolvency, where the landlord was the tenant's guarantor;
• a guarantor or former tenant taking an overriding lease under section 19 of the Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995;
• a new lease created by operation of law;
• a new lease granted under Part 2 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, or by another court order;
• and, for continuing lettings, buying a property that was let on an existing tenancy on the day of purchase.

Like the others, it only counts once registered. After 6 months the building must be at E, or another exemption must be registered.

Do MEES exemptions pass to a buyer?

No. If a let property is sold or otherwise transferred with an exemption in place, the exemption stops being effective. The new owner must improve the building to E or register an exemption of their own, which can include the 6-month new-landlord exemption. If the building is sold to an owner-occupier, the guidance says the regulations don't apply at all.

For buyers, that makes the seller's exemption a due-diligence point rather than an asset: check what it was based on and when it would have ended.

How do I register a MEES exemption?

1. Go to Register or manage a PRS energy standard exemption on GOV.UK and sign in with GOV.UK One Login.
2. Enter the property's address and the landlord's details.
3. Choose the exemption or exemptions you're relying on.
4. Upload the evidence: PDF, PNG, JPG, DOC or DOCX files, up to 20 MB each.

GOV.UK lists an assisted digital helpline for landlords who need help using the service: 0800 098 7950. It helps with registering, not with whether a building qualifies. If a building is later improved to E, or stops being let, the landlord can end the exemption from their account.

Registering false or misleading information can lead to a penalty of up to £5,000, plus publication of the breach (regulation 41).

Will the exemptions change for 2031?

The interim response of 18 June 2026 says "existing flexibility mechanisms, including the 7-year payback test and exemptions, will remain in place" under the proposed EPC B standard for rented buildings over 1,000 m². It doesn't say whether their detail will change. The 2021 consultation had floated reviewing exemptions at the start of each compliance period and a standardised payback calculator; neither has been confirmed. See EPC B by 2031.

How many industrial buildings might need one?

1,037 industrial and warehouse buildings over 1,000 m² (10,764 sq ft) have a latest EPC rated F or G, with 3.57 million m² (38.4 million sq ft) of floorspace (EPC register, snapshot 30 Sep 2026). For 275 of them, the latest EPC was lodged for a letting. An EPC doesn't record whether a building is let today, or whether an exemption is registered, so this isn't a count of buildings that need one.