Commercial MEES and EPC penalty calculator
Quick answer
Enter the rateable value and how long the building has been let below E. Under 3 months the maximum is the greater of £5,000 or 10% of the rateable value, capped at £50,000; for 3 months or more it is the greater of £10,000 or 20%, capped at £150,000 (regulation 41). These are maximums: the council decides the actual penalty.
Look up the rateable value with GOV.UK’s Find a business rates valuation service. For MEES it is the value on the local rating list when the penalty notice is served.
Letting below E (MEES)
- Maximum financial penalty
- –
- Worked out as
- Enter the rateable value
- As well
- Publication penalty
Selling or letting with no EPC
- Penalty charge
- –
- Worked out as
- 12.5% of the rateable value, £500 to £5,000
MEES figures are maximums under regulation 41: the council decides the actual penalty. False information on the exemptions register, or ignoring a compliance notice, can bring a separate penalty of up to £5,000 plus publication.
Send these detailsThe figures are worked out from the regulations and what you enter. Nothing is looked up or stored, and this is not legal advice. The rules are those for England and Wales.
How the MEES maximum is worked out
Regulation 41 of the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 sets the penalties for a landlord who breaches regulation 27, which since 1 April 2023 has stopped a landlord continuing to let a non-domestic building rated below E unless an exemption applies. The tier depends on how long the breach has lasted when the penalty notice is served.
| Breach | Maximum financial penalty | Can also include |
|---|---|---|
| Letting below E for under 3 months when the penalty notice is served | The greater of £5,000 and 10% of the rateable value, capped at £50,000 | Publication penalty |
| Letting below E for 3 months or more when the penalty notice is served | The greater of £10,000 and 20% of the rateable value, capped at £150,000 | Publication penalty |
| False or misleading information on the PRS Exemptions Register, or failing to comply with a compliance notice | Up to £5,000 | Publication penalty |
Non-domestic penalties, SI 2015/962 regulation 41. Source: legislation.gov.uk, checked 23 October 2026.
In both tiers the percentage only overtakes the fixed figure above a rateable value of £50,000. The caps are reached at a rateable value of £500,000 for a breach under 3 months and £750,000 for 3 months or more. A unit with a rateable value of £24,000 let below E for four months faces a maximum of £10,000, because 20% of its value is only £4,800. A building valued at £900,000 faces the £150,000 cap, because 20% would be £180,000.
Which rateable value counts
The rateable value is the one shown for the property on a local non-domestic rating list at the time the penalty notice is served (regulation 41(5)), so it is the figure in force on that day, not when the breach began. The Valuation Office sets it, and GOV.UK’s Find a business rates valuation service shows it for any property in England or Wales.
Publication, review and appeal
Each tier can bring a publication penalty: details of the breach, the address of the property and the amount of any financial penalty go on the PRS Exemptions Register, with the landlord’s name where the landlord is not an individual, for at least 12 months (regulation 39). The local weights and measures authority enforces the rules for properties in its area (regulation 34). A landlord can ask the authority to review a penalty notice and, if it is confirmed, appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (regulations 42 and 43). The guide to how MEES is enforced covers notices and appeals step by step.
Selling or letting with no EPC
A separate penalty applies under the Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 when a seller or landlord does not make a valid EPC available to a prospective buyer or tenant. For a building that is not a dwelling, regulation 38 sets the charge at 12.5% of the rateable value, with a minimum of £500 and a maximum of £5,000. Where the building is not on a local non-domestic rating list, or shares its rating assessment with other buildings, the charge is £750. GOV.UK sums it up: you can be fined between £500 and £5,000 based on the rateable value of the building. Unlike the MEES figures, this is the amount of the charge once a penalty charge notice is given, not a maximum. More in selling or letting without an EPC.
Keeping the building out of breach
A MEES penalty only arises where a letting the rules cover is below E with no exemption. Check the certificate’s date and rating with the commercial EPC checker, then improve the building to E or register an exemption before letting. MEES compliance sets out the rules and the exemptions, and the guide for landlords covers leases and timing. If the building needs a new EPC, you can request quotes from accredited assessors through the form on this page or the quote page.
England and Wales only
These penalties come from regulations for England and Wales. Buildings in Scotland and Northern Ireland are subject to separate requirements. See commercial EPCs in Scotland.
Sources
- Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015, regulations 27, 34, 39, 41, 42 and 43, legislation.gov.uk, checked 23 October 2026.
- Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012, regulations 6 and 38, legislation.gov.uk, checked 23 October 2026.
- Energy Performance Certificates for your business premises, GOV.UK, checked 23 October 2026.
- Find a business rates valuation, GOV.UK, checked 23 October 2026.
- A guide to Energy Performance Certificates for the construction, sale and let of non-dwellings, MHCLG, GOV.UK, checked 23 October 2026.