An exemption lets you keep letting a home that is below the minimum band, but only after you have registered it with evidence. Nothing is automatic: an unregistered exemption protects you from nothing. This page sets the rules in force today next to the ones planned for 2030, which are confirmed government policy, not yet law.

Today: the band E rules

These apply now, under the guidance last updated on 5 May 2026 (GOV.UK guidance).

Exemption	When it applies	Length
All relevant improvements made	Every recommended measure is done and the home is still below E	5 years
High cost	Even the cheapest recommended measure costs more than £3,500 incl. VAT	5 years
Wall insulation	Expert advice says the insulation would harm the building	5 years
Third-party consent	A tenant, superior landlord, mortgage lender, freeholder or planning authority refuses consent	5 years
Devaluation	An independent surveyor finds the works would cut the value by more than 5%	5 years
New landlord	You have just become the landlord, for example by inheritance	6 months

Spending since 1 October 2017 counts towards the £3,500. If grants such as ECO or a council scheme cover the full cost, the cap does not limit you; you are expected to do the work.

From 1 October 2030: the planned band C rules

The government response of 21 January 2026 keeps some exemptions, merges two and adds new ones (GOV.UK response).

Planned exemption	Condition in the response	Length
Cost cap	You have spent £10,000, or the next cheapest measure would take you over it	10 years
Property value adjustment	Home worth under £100,000: the cap becomes 10% of its value	10 years
Negative impacts	Evidence that a measure would harm the property; replaces the devaluation and wall insulation exemptions	10 years
High cost	Cheapest recommended measure is above the cap (incl. VAT)	5 years*
All relevant improvements made	No further recommendations, or a report shows nothing more is possible	5 years*
Solid wall insulation	It is the only fabric measure left and you choose not to install it	5 years*
Third-party consent	Consent not granted by the tenant, superior landlord, planning authority or similar	5 years*
New landlord	You bought into a let home with sitting tenants	6 months

*The response says exemptions are "typically valid for 5 years unless specified"; it does not name a length for these four, so we show the default.

Worked cases

A £140,000 terraced house at D, nothing spent yet. The cap is £10,000. If the cheapest route to C costs £7,200, there is no exemption: you do the work. If loft and cavity insulation (£3,000) get you to 66 points and the only measure left is solid wall insulation at £12,000, you can do the £3,000 of work and register the solid wall insulation exemption.

A £80,000 flat at E. 10% of its value is £8,000, lower than £10,000, so the property value adjustment caps your spend at £8,000. Once you have spent it, you register for 10 years.

A landlord who spent £4,000 on insulation in March 2026. That work was installed after 1 October 2025, so under the plan it counts. Keep invoices and the installer's paperwork.

How registration works now

Registration is on the PRS Exemptions Register. You sign in with GOV.UK One Login, enter the address, choose the exemption and upload evidence (PDF, PNG, JPG, JPEG, DOC or DOCX, 20 MB per file). The public can search the register for exempt homes and for penalties. A helpline, 0800 098 7950, helps with using the service but cannot say whether you qualify (GOV.UK guidance). The government plans to rebuild the register for the 2030 rules.

False entries

Registering false or misleading information can cost up to £1,000 today, within the £5,000 total per property. Under the planned rules the ceiling is £30,000 per property per breach.

The tool above shows how much of your cap is left. The deadline and status are on EPC C by 2030.