rentready / Landlord database guides
EPC ratings and the landlord database
When you register a property, you upload its latest energy performance certificate (EPC). If the EPC has lapsed, you also give the start date of the current tenancy. If the rating is below the minimum, you say whether a registered MEES exemption applies. Upload within 28 days of making the entry (in the draft regulations, regulation 6(2), and reported by the NRLA; not yet in official guidance). Today's minimum rating for a let property is E.
What the service asks for
The official guidance lists:
- whether a valid EPC was required for the current tenant;
- a copy of the most recent EPC, if one exists;
- the tenancy start date, if the EPC is no longer valid;
- if the rating is below the minimum, whether a registered MEES exemption applies, and its type.
How long an EPC lasts
An EPC runs for ten years. In rentready's example, an EPC issued on 1 May 2017 is valid to 1 May 2027. For a West Midlands property with a 14 March 2027 deadline, it is still in date when you register.
A lapsed EPC
A lapsed EPC does not stop you registering. The service accepts it together with the start date of the current tenancy. rentready's registration pack asks for that date in a tenancy_start column and marks the EPC ready once it has it.
How common is it? About 243,000 rental EPCs in England reach ten years before their region's deadline: see EPCs expiring before each deadline, by region.
What your rating means
MEES are the minimum energy efficiency standards. rentready compares each rating with today's E minimum, and with the C minimum that all private tenancies must meet by 1 October 2030. The government dropped its proposed earlier date of 2028 for new tenancies in its response of 21 January 2026. The new standard still needs legislation, which the government expects in 2027.
| Rating | Today's E minimum | C minimum from 1 October 2030 |
|---|---|---|
| A, B or C | Met | Met |
| D or E | Met | Would not be met |
| F or G | Below the minimum | Would not be met |
For an F or G rating, the service asks about a MEES exemption, and rentready adds that question and a file to your pack. A rating of D or E meets today's minimum, so there is nothing extra to upload now. The C minimum is government policy but not yet law, and it will be measured on new EPC metrics, so check gov.uk before planning work around it.
Scanning and naming
Scan the EPC as a PDF before you start. rentready names it for you, for example 12-example-st_epc_2017-05-01.pdf. If you have a MEES exemption, scan that too.
Check every property
Add each property's EPC date and rating to rentready, or paste a CSV with epc and epc_rating columns. You see which EPCs lapse before each deadline, which ratings sit below E, and which would fall short of the 2030 C minimum.
Check your properties free Runs in your browser. Only the postcode leaves it, to find the region.
The two 28-day rules
- Upload within 28 days, or the entry goes inactive. You can make a property's entry before you have the tenancy and safety details (occupiers, licences, gas safety record, EICR, EPC, rent), but they must be added within 28 days of making the entry (draft regulation 6(2)). If they are not, the entry becomes inactive (draft regulation 11(2)(a)). An inactive entry is the same as no entry: letting the property risks a penalty of up to £7,000, and the court cannot make a possession order except on Ground 7A or Ground 14 (section 90).
- Update within 28 days of any change. When information or a document in the entry goes out of date, for example when the annual gas safety check replaces last year's record, or a new EICR replaces the old one, the entry must be updated within 28 days of the day it went out of date (draft regulation 9(4)). For gas, that is every year.
Both rules are in the draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026, which Parliament has not yet approved; the official guidance does not mention them yet.
Questions
Do I upload my EPC to the landlord database?
Yes. You upload the most recent EPC, if one exists, within 28 days of making the entry under the draft regulations (not yet in official guidance).
Can I register with an expired EPC?
Yes. The service accepts a lapsed EPC with the start date of the current tenancy.
What EPC rating do I need?
Today's minimum for a let property is E. The government has set a C minimum for all private tenancies from 1 October 2030, with no earlier date for new tenancies (government response, 21 January 2026; not yet law).
What if my property is rated F or G?
The service asks whether a registered MEES exemption applies and which type.
Related guides
Sources
- Get ready to register: Register your rental property (official guidance, housinghub.campaign.gov.uk)
- Draft Private Rented Sector Database Regulations 2026 (legislation.gov.uk; not yet made)
- NRLA: Register your rental property service (summary of the draft regulations)
- HCR Law: private rented sector database to go live from 15 December 2026
- Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes: government response (gov.uk, 21 January 2026)
Not legal advice. Check gov.uk before relying on this. Last checked 28 Oct 2026.