February 2017:  MEES – one year to go

 

With just over a year to go before the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard regulations come into force for the grant of new commercial leases (which in summary provide that a property must have a minimum Energy Performance Certificate rating of E otherwise the landlord is prohibited from granting a new lease/renewal lease) the Government has published guidance for the commercial sector. The guidance is addressed to landlords and the enforcement authorities and has been keenly awaited as clarification is badly needed for the real estate sector, in particular to which tenancies the regulations apply, how voluntary EPCs interplay with the regulations, the various exemptions available to landlords and how the regulations will apply to existing leases as from 1 April 2023. The guidance, at 70 pages long, however, still leaves a number of unanswered questions.

 

Additionally the opening date for the centralised self certification register for landlords to register exemptions (the PRS Exemption Register) has been put back form 1 April 2017 to 1 October 2017.

 

If you need any assistance in reviewing your real estate portfolio, whether as owner, occupier or investor, and the impact of the MEES regulations please contact Linda Fletcher.