Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet has agreed to take enforcement action on private landlords who fail to meet Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) in their properties.

As a result of this decision, officers from the Council will now be able to issue fines to landlords who rent property that have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of F or G; with fines reaching £5,000.

The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulation 2015 sets out the legal obligation for landlords to provide energy performance certificates of E or above to existing, new and prospective tenants in most rented homes unless they are exempt such as listed buildings or officially protected.

The regulations impose a minimum energy efficiency standard to help reduce fuel poverty and carbon emissions.

Cllr Shayne Cook, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing, said “The Council has a dedicated team in place to tackle this issue and support landlords in bringing their homes up to the minimum standard of energy efficiency set out within the regulations.

“Ensuring properties are energy efficient is vital not only in reducing the harm to our environment but also in keeping tenants’ living costs to a minimum and improving their overall health and wellbeing.

“I’m pleased to say that over 90% of landlords in the county borough who have engaged with our officers are working with us to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

“Enforcement is a final resort for us as a Council, but the approval of this approach comes as welcome news as it provides officers with additional tools, when needed, to tackle this issue.”