| Date | What happened / happens | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 April 2018 | No new tenancy of an F or G rated non-domestic property | In force |
| 1 April 2023 | No continued letting of an F or G rated property, including existing leases | In force |
| 1 April 2027 | Proposed EPC C interim standard | Dropped |
| 2030 | Previously proposed EPC B for all non-domestic property | Superseded |
| 2031 | EPC B for non-domestic buildings over 1,000 m² | Announced |
Five years is one lease cycle
The 2031 date reads as distant and is not. Most routes from D or C to B depend on either a plant replacement or a fabric intervention, and neither is something you do to an occupied building at a moment of your choosing. They happen at a void, a fit-out, a dilapidations settlement or a scheduled plant end-of-life.
Which means the real deadline is not 2031. It is the last lease event before 2031 at which the work can practically be done – and for a building on a ten-year lease granted in 2024, that date may already have passed.
Map your building's deadline to its lease events
Our Upgrade Plan sequences each measure against the break dates, expiries and refinancing dates you already have.
Common questions
Has the 2027 EPC C deadline been cancelled?
Yes. The interim EPC C requirement for non-domestic property in 2027 has been dropped. The next milestone is the 2031 EPC B standard, and it applies only to buildings over 1,000 m².
What happens on 1 April 2031?
A non-domestic building over 1,000 m² rated below B is expected to become unlettable without a registered exemption, in the same way F and G buildings became unlettable in 2023.
How long does a commercial EPC last?
Ten years from lodgement. It does not have to be renewed on expiry unless you are selling or letting, but an expired certificate leaves your compliance position unevidenced.