How to register a commercial MEES exemption
Updated 23 October 2026 · SEO Dons Editorial
Who registers a commercial MEES exemption, and when?
This guide covers non-domestic (commercial) property in England and Wales; domestic landlords follow different guidance. The exemption must be registered by the landlord, or an agent for the landlord, before it can be relied on. Registration is on a self-certification basis, and gov.uk says exemptions apply "from the point you register them", so register before the letting, renewal or extension that depends on one. For the consent and devaluation exemptions the regulations' Schedule says the information "must be registered before the landlord lets the property".
Not every low rating needs one. If the letting is outside the regulations, or the property has been improved to at least E, no exemption is needed; scope is covered on the MEES compliance page. gov.uk says that if you need help choosing which exemption to register, you should get legal advice.
What do you need before you start?
The gov.uk service lists four things: your details, or the landlord's details if you are an agent; the address of the property; a valid EPC; and evidence of how the property qualifies. The Schedule also asks for the landlord's name, address, email address and telephone number.
The evidence starts with the recommendation report. A measure counts as a relevant improvement only if a green deal report, a recommendation report or a surveyor's report identifies it as recommended, and the exemptions turn on what is left once those measures are made or ruled out. Many F and G ratings can be fixed without any exemption: see what to do about an F or G rating.
What evidence does each commercial exemption need?
There are six commercial exemptions; MEES exemptions explained covers the types. This table adds who has to supply the evidence.
| Exemption | Ground | Evidence to register | Who supplies it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seven-year payback | A recommended measure would not achieve a simple payback of seven years or less (regulation 28) | Three quotations for buying and installing it, and confirmation that the responsible person is satisfied. gov.uk also asks for the cost calculations | Installers who meet the relevant installer standards; the responsible person (an individual landlord, a company director or whoever has management control) |
| All improvements made | All relevant improvements are made, or none can be made, and the property is still below E (regulation 29) | The EPC, the recommended improvements, and what was done with completion dates; any separate report relied on | The landlord |
| Wall insulation | The only measures left are cavity, external or internal wall insulation, and written advice says they would harm the fabric or structure (regulation 28(2)) | A copy of the written opinion | A relevant person (an independent architect, chartered engineer, chartered building surveyor or chartered architectural technologist on a conservation register) or an independent installer |
| Third-party consent | Within the preceding five years the landlord could not reach E because the tenant refused consent, or other required consent was refused or came with conditions the landlord cannot reasonably meet (regulation 31) | Correspondence showing consent was required, sought, and refused or conditioned | The tenant, superior landlord, mortgagee, planning authority or other party whose consent is needed |
| Property devaluation | The measures would cut the market value of the property, or its building, by more than 5% (regulation 32) | A copy of the report | An independent surveyor on the RICS register of valuers |
| New landlord (temporary) | The landlord became, or continues as, landlord in a listed circumstance such as buying a let property or a 1954 Act lease (regulation 33) | The date and circumstance, and a copy of any valid EPC | The landlord; see lease renewals and MEES |
The payback test compares savings with cost. Savings are the energy bill savings expected over seven years from completion of the installation. The repayment cost is the cost of buying and installing the measure, excluding VAT, multiplied by an interest rate factor based on the Bank of England base rate. A measure passes, and so counts as a relevant improvement that still has to be made, where savings are the same as or greater than that cost.
For example, a recommendation report lists a controls upgrade. The landlord gets three quotations, works out the seven-year bill savings and finds they fall short of the cost with the interest factor applied. The measure fails the test, so the landlord can register the payback exemption with the quotations and the responsible person's confirmation. Where two or more people together are the landlord, the Schedule asks for the responsible person in relation to each of them.
How do you register an exemption on gov.uk, step by step?
- Check that the letting is covered, the valid EPC is below E and an exemption ground applies.
- Prepare the evidence as pdf, png, jpg, jpeg, doc or docx files, up to 20 MB each.
- Start from gov.uk's Register a private rented sector energy standards exemption page. You sign in with GOV.UK One Login, and the way to sign in changed on 5 May 2026.
- Enter the address of the property and select the exemption you want to register.
- Upload the required evidence, including the EPC.
- Keep copies of what you uploaded and diarise the end date.
Someone who needs a current EPC to support a registration can send an enquiry through the form on this site.
What happens after you register, and how long does it last?
You can rent the property immediately after registering a valid exemption, and the local council may contact you for more information. The register is public. The regulations allow it to show the property address, the landlord's name where the landlord is not an individual, the exemption relied on, a copy of the EPC and the date registered. How to check a building's MEES exemption explains how to read a listing.
Most exemptions last five years, and for the all-improvements route regulation 29 counts them from the date the landlord registers. A consent exemption lasts five years or, where lack of tenant consent was the issue, until the current tenancy ends or is assigned, and the temporary exemption lasts six months from the date the landlord became the landlord. When one ends, the landlord must try again to improve the rating, and a further exemption may be registered if one still applies. If the property reaches E, or stops being let, the landlord can end the exemption from the account dashboard.
Registering information that is false or that misleads is a separate breach, with a financial penalty of up to £5,000 plus a publication penalty under regulation 41.
What happens to an exemption when the building is sold?
It does not travel with the building. gov.uk says exemptions "may not pass over to a new owner or landlord of a property upon sale, or other transfer". On a transfer the exemption "will cease to be effective", and the new owner must improve the property to the minimum standard or register an exemption where one applies, if they intend to carry on letting.
A buyer of a let property has a short window. Regulation 33 disapplies the continuing-to-let rule for six months from the date a person becomes landlord by buying an interest in a property that was let on an existing tenancy on the date of purchase, but only if the information is registered. The MEES compliance page covers the rest of the rules.
Sources
- Non-domestic private rented property: landlord guidance, DESNZ, GOV.UK, last updated 5 May 2026, checked 22 October 2026.
- Register a private rented sector energy standards exemption, GOV.UK, checked 22 October 2026.
- Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015, regulations 2, 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 36, 41 and the Schedule, legislation.gov.uk, checked 22 October 2026.
Common questions
Can an agent register an exemption for the landlord?
Yes. gov.uk says the exemption must be registered by the landlord or an agent for the landlord, and the service asks for the landlord's details where an agent is acting. The responsibility for meeting the criteria stays with the landlord, because the assisted digital support cannot advise on whether a property qualifies.
Can a second exemption be registered when the first one ends?
Yes, if a ground still applies. The guidance says the landlord must first try again to improve the EPC rating, and that if this cannot be achieved a further exemption may be registered. Start gathering fresh evidence before the end date rather than after it.
Will a tenant or buyer be able to see an exemption?
Yes. gov.uk says members of the public can search the Exemptions Register for details of exempt properties and penalties issued to non-compliant landlords. The regulations list the address, the exemption relied on, the date registered and a copy of the EPC among the details that may be published.
Which exemption fits a tenant who will not allow the works?
The third-party consent exemption, if the tenant refused consent to a relevant improvement. The evidence is correspondence showing consent was needed, sought and refused. It lasts five years or, where lack of tenant consent was the issue, until the current tenancy ends or is assigned to a new tenant.