Average EPC Ratings by Region: Where Landlords Face the Biggest Upgrade Bills

Across the UK, the PRS is still mostly D-rated and government now expects you to get to EPC C by October 2030, with big regional differences in how hard and how expensive that will be.

1. Where each region sits now

These figures are from EPC and lender analysis up to late 2024; they cover all tenures but with PRS-specific splits where available.

Median EPC scores (all stock, 10 years to March 2024-25):

• England overall: score 68-69 (Band D).
• Wales: score 67-68 (Band D).

Region medians:

• London: 70 (Band C).
• East of England: 70 (C).
• South East: 70 (C).
• North East: 68 (D).
• North West: 68 (D).
• Yorkshire and Humber: 67-68 (D, worst region).
• East Midlands: 68 (D).
• West Midlands: 67-68 (D).
• South West: 69 (C/D borderline).

PRS specifically (England, 2024 English Housing Survey and lender report):

In the PRS, Band C dwellings increased from 42% to 48% between 2022 and 2024, while Band D fell from 43% to 37%.

The Mortgage Works PRS energy report gives region-level PRS splits:

• London: 60% of PRS at C or above.
• East of England: just under 50% of PRS at A-C.
• North East: 42% PRS at C or above.
• North West: 40% at C+.
• Midlands (East + West): <40% at C+, so >60% still D or worse.
• Yorkshire and Humber: only ~25% of PRS at A-C, worst in England.

Scotland publishes its own EPC stats, but the picture is similar: PRS median band is D, with older tenements in Glasgow/Edinburgh dragging averages down.

2. PRS vs owner-occupier: who is behind?

The English Housing Survey and lender data show:

Owner-occupiers have more semis and detached houses, often upgraded with loft and cavity insulation, so they are more likely to be at C or better.

PRS has:

• More pre-1919 terraces and converted flats (5% detached vs 26% for owner-occupiers).
• More low-income tenants and shorter ownership periods, so less incentive to invest.

Result: By 2024, 48% of English PRS is at C+, versus c. 55-60% of owner-occupied stock (varies by region).

The gap is widest in Yorkshire and Humber, Midlands and Wales, where PRS still has a big tail of F and G on the worst Victorian terraces and rural homes.

3. Where the 2030 EPC C deadline will bite hardest

Government has now confirmed a minimum EPC C for all PRS lets by October 2030 in England and Wales, with an estimated average upgrade cost of GBP 6,100-6,800 per property and a GBP 10,000 cost cap written into the updated regulations.

Combine that with the regional PRS data:

Hardest regions (lowest share at C+):

• Yorkshire and Humber: only ~25% of PRS at C+; 75% of rented stock potentially needs work.
• East Midlands / West Midlands: <40% at C+, so >60% needing upgrades.
• Wales: median band D (score 67-68), with a heavy tail of E/F in older valleys stock.

Mid-pack regions:

• North East: 42% PRS at C+; 58% to upgrade.
• North West: 40% at C+; 60% to upgrade.
• South West: median around C/D but lots of solid-wall cottages; overall challenge is big despite slightly better medians.

Least painful (relatively):

• London: 60% PRS already at C+, lowest upgrade share.
• East of England, South East: just under 50% PRS at C+, so roughly half needing upgrades but on higher-value stock.

So Yorkshire and Humber and the Midlands have the biggest volume of upgrades per landlord; London has the largest total spend, but many landlords already at C can dodge heavy works.

4. Property types dragging ratings down by region

The same stock patterns keep appearing.

North East / North West / Yorkshire: Pre-1919 solid-wall terraced housing, often back-to-back or through-terraces. Coal towns and ex-industrial streets with single glazing, no cavity walls, thin loft insulation. Typical upgrades: internal wall insulation, loft, double glazing, boiler controls.

East / West Midlands: 1900-1940 terraces and semis; much is cavity wall but under-insulated. F-rated rural cottages off gas grid in Staffordshire, Shropshire, Lincolnshire. Upgrades: cavity and loft, boiler, sometimes ASHP and new radiators for off-gas.

London: Lots of flats: post-war council blocks and 80s/90s purpose-built. Newer PRS and build-to-rent help push scores up; biggest problems are pre-1919 mansion blocks and small electric-heated flats.

East of England / South East: 1930s semis and 60s/70s estates, generally easier C wins (loft, cavity, boiler). Off-gas villages in Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent with oil / direct electric.

South West: Solid-stone cottages and farmhouses with no cavity, small windows, exposed walls. Seaside HMOs and guesthouse conversions with weird internal layouts, thin insulation.

Wales: Valleys terraces in stone/solid brick; similar issues to Yorkshire/South West.

Scotland: Tenements in Glasgow/Edinburgh, solid stone walls, electric heating in some PRS. New builds are not the problem: 88% of new dwellings lodged in Q4 2025 were A or B, up from 82-84 a decade ago.

5. Total and per-landlord upgrade costs by region

Octane Capital's 2026 analysis pegs the total English PRS bill at around GBP 19.9-20 billion to get to EPC C, based on the 2030 deadline, average costs and the number of sub-C PRS homes.

They break it down by region:

• London: largest total spend, about GBP 4.3 billion.
• North West: about GBP 2.3 billion.
• South East: about GBP 2.2 billion.
• Other English regions each in the GBP 1-2 billion range.

Per-property, government and Octane land broadly in the same place:

• Average EPC-C upgrade cost: GBP 6,100-6,800 per property, capped at GBP 10,000 under updated MEES rules.

Where it bites per landlord is where values and rents are lowest:

Yorkshire, North East, North West, Wales: GBP 60-120k houses, GBP 450-700/month rent, EPC E/F terraces. Drop GBP 6-8k on insulation and heating and you can easily lose 2-3 percentage points of net yield if you cannot raise rent enough.

London, South East, East of England: GBP 300-600k properties, GBP 1,500-2,500/month rent. Same GBP 6-8k is proportionally smaller, but you are more likely to hit planning / leasehold constraints on flats.

So highest cost per landlord relative to asset value and rent is in the cheap high-yield regions (Yorkshire, North East, parts of Midlands and Wales); highest absolute spend per landlord (especially on larger houses and period flats) is in London and the South East.

6. What forums get wrong about EPC ratings

Myth 1: "Minimum EPC E is it, C by 2030 is just talk."

Reality: Government has now confirmed EPC C by October 2030 for PRS in England and Wales, with an average upgrade cost of GBP 6,100-6,800 and a GBP 10,000 cap built into the updated regulations.

Myth 2: "Northern terraces will never hit C, so you can rely on exemptions."

Reality: Data shows over 40% of PRS in North East/North West and around 25% in Yorkshire are already at C+, and typical measures (loft, cavity, boiler, glazing) can shift many more. Exemptions will be much narrower now costs are capped higher.

Myth 3: "Owner-occupiers will struggle more than landlords, so you will not be singled out."

Reality: PRS starts from a worse position (more old terraces and flats) and is explicitly targeted by MEES and Renters' Rights Act enforcement and RROs; owner-occupiers are nudged, you are compelled.

Myth 4: "Grants will pay for most of it if you wait."

Reality: HUG2/ECO4 pots are aimed at low-income / off-gas homes and are nowhere near large enough to fund GBP 20bn of PRS upgrades. Octane's numbers assume most landlords self-fund or borrow.

Myth 5: "Location does not matter, EPC is just about boiler and loft."

Reality: Region and stock type matter hugely:

• Solid-wall terraces and cottages in Yorkshire, Wales, South West need expensive wall insulation.
• Flats in London are constrained by leases and fabric; sometimes only communal systems or landlord-wide projects work.

For your regional pages, the key is to translate this into local numbers per archetype: "In your patch, what does it cost, what does it do to yield, and is it worth it compared to selling or holding?"

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