MEES have moved from a compliance afterthought to a central asset management issue for landlords letting property in England and Wales. The regime uses a property's EPC rating as both the trigger and the benchmark for whether it can lawfully be let. Keep reading to understand the current position, the changes the Government announced on 18 June 2026 and the practical consequences for landlords and tenants, distinguishing between the commercial (non-domestic) and residential (domestic) regimes, which run on different standards, deadlines and penalties. The core message for landlords is to audit portfolios now and plan for a higher minimum standard; for tenants, the changes are increasingly a source of leverage for negotiation.