As we moved towards the first MEES deadline in early April, it was already clear that a minority of landlords were unprepared – bank BNP Paribas reported that a 10th of inner London’s commercial stock was struggling to meet the new requirement.

Those that did invest and upgrade their assets early on avoided rushing to procure improvements or find an exemption – a situation no one will want to be in when the MEES requirements rise again in 2027.

The new regulations demanded that commercial landlords’ property must have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of E or above – with a ban on letting the space and a potential fine up to £150,000 if no exemption applies. Buildings that were not compliant with the new rules became distressed assets, with many landlords looking to improvement works to meet the new minimum EPC requirement.

Read more…