The two lowest bands

Band	Score	What it means for a private let today
F	21 to 38	Cannot be let without a registered exemption
G	1 to 20	Cannot be let without a registered exemption

Since 1 April 2020, the rule covers existing tenancies as well as new ones (GOV.UK).

If you are a landlord with an F or G

GOV.UK sets out three situations:

Planning a new tenancy: reach E first, or register an exemption.
Already letting: reach E straight away, or register an exemption.
Empty and not being let: nothing is needed until you let it again.

The rules cover homes let on assured, regulated or domestic agricultural tenancies that are legally required to have an EPC. A home that does not need an EPC is not covered (GOV.UK).

The £3,500 cap today

You are not currently required to spend more than £3,500, including VAT, on improvements. If E cannot be reached within that, make all the improvements you can up to the cap, then register an "all improvements made" exemption (GOV.UK). The list of exemptions is on our exemptions page. The calculator above works out a cap and what is left of it.

Fines

Breach	Maximum penalty
Letting a non-compliant home for less than 3 months	£2,000 and/or publication
Letting it for 3 months or more	£4,000 and/or publication
False or misleading information on the Exemptions Register	£1,000 and/or publication
Not complying with a compliance notice	£2,000 and/or publication
Total per property	£5,000

Source: GOV.UK. Councils can act up to 18 months after a breach and publish the details for at least 12 months.

What F and G cost to run and to fix

Running cost: the English Housing Survey's modelled energy cost for a band G home was £2,662 a year in 2022, about two and a half times the £1,081 modelled for A to C (EHS 2022-23). No separate F figure is published.
Cost to reach C: £17,354 on average from F or G (EHS 2024-25), well above the £10,000 cap planned for 2030 (confirmed government policy, not yet law).
Homes that may never reach C: the survey estimated about 440,000 homes, around 2% of the stock, could not reach C (EHS 2023-24).

If you rent an F or G home

Look the address up on the register, then search the public PRS Exemptions Register. It shows exempt properties and the penalties issued to landlords (GOV.UK). No exemption and no works? The local council enforces the standard.

If you own and live in an F or G home

No minimum band applies to you. Start from the cheapest measures on your certificate and use the route-to-C calculator. Each band you climb lowers the modelled running cost.