EPC Ratings in Boston: How Many Homes Are Below Band C Before the 2030 Rule
Of the 1,565 homes in Boston that had an EPC lodged from July 2025 to June 2026, 52% were rated D to G — the bands a privately rented home must leave by 1 October 2030. The East Midlands figure is 46%; England and Wales 40%.
EPC bands in Boston, July 2025 to June 2026
| Rating | Certificates | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Band A | 10 | 0.6% |
| Band B | 54 | 3.5% |
| Band C | 689 | 44% |
| Band D | 615 | 39% |
| Band E | 153 | 9.8% |
| Band F | 37 | 2.4% |
| Band G | 7 | 0.4% |
52% below C (bands D to G) against 46% in the East Midlands and 40% across England and Wales. Boston ranks 40 of 318 local authorities for the share below C (1 = highest share). Since 2008, 32,855 EPCs have been lodged for existing homes in Boston and 66% of them were below C — recent certificates run better than the long-run stock because newer and improved homes transact more.
The deeper problem here is the bottom of the scale. 13% of recent certificates in Boston were E, F or G — against 7.5% in the East Midlands. F and G have been unlettable since the 2018–2020 minimum-E rules unless an exemption is registered, and an E-rated home has two bands to climb, not one; check the register before any new tenancy and budget for the cap being reached.
Is Boston moving towards C?
The share below C in Boston rose year on year, from 47% (July 2024 to June 2025) to 52% (July 2025 to June 2026) — up 4.5 points against −2.5 points across England and Wales. A rise usually says more about which homes happened to sell or let — older, unimproved stock coming to market — than about homes getting worse; what it does mean is that more of what is on the market here needs work before it can be let after 2030.
Average floor area per certificate is 87.2 m², close to the 87.1 m² England-and-Wales figure, so national cost guides apply here without much adjustment.
What the 2030 rule costs in Boston
Privately rented homes need band C from 1 October 2030, with a £10,000 cap on what a landlord must spend before an exemption can be registered; the rules, exemptions and what counts towards the cap are on the EPC C for rentals by 2030 guide.
Put the £10,000 cap in local terms: average private rent in Boston is £803 a month (ONS, July 2026), so the cap is roughly 12.5 months of rent — and every month a property stands empty for works costs another £803 on top of the bill. The area’s rents, prices and yields are on Boston: rents, house prices and yield.
Council tax keeps running while a home is empty for works — Band D in Boston is £2,309 for 2026/27, and the council adds a 100% premium once a home has stood empty for two years (council tax in Boston). Whether the certificate and the works are deductible is on EPC, gas and electrical certificates: deductible? — revenue repairs come off the year’s rent, improvements that add capital value do not (allowable expenses guide).
Nearest neighbours in the ranking, in the East Midlands
| Area | Below C | Year-on-year (pts) |
|---|---|---|
| Amber Valley | 52% | +3 |
| South Holland | 52% | +3.8 |
| Melton | 52% | −3.9 |
| North Kesteven | 50% | +5.4 |
| High Peak | 50% | −1.2 |
| Bolsover | 49% | +16.1 |
All 318 areas ranked · council tax in Boston 2026/27 · rent, prices and yield in Boston.
MHCLG, Live tables on Energy Performance of Buildings Certificates, table EB1 — domestic EPCs lodged for existing dwellings by energy-efficiency band, published 30 July 2026, latest four quarters (July 2025 to June 2026) summed per local authority; cumulative figures from 2008. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. An EPC is lodged when a home is sold, let or newly built, so these are certificates issued, not a census of the housing stock. Shares, ranks and regional figures are ours, computed across 318 local authorities. Download: CSV.
Asked about EPCs here
Of EPCs lodged for existing homes from July 2025 to June 2026, 48% were band C or better and 52% were D to G; band D alone was 39%. (MHCLG live table EB1.)
The share below C moved from 47% (July 2024 to June 2025) to 52% (July 2025 to June 2026): +4.5 percentage points, against −2.5 across England and Wales.
From 1 October 2030 under the government's EPC consultation response, with a £10,000 spending cap before an exemption. Until then the minimum for a new letting is band E.
52% below C against 46% in the East Midlands — a larger share needing work.
No — only homes with an EPC lodged in the period (sold, let or built). Since 2008 the cumulative share below C is 66%, higher because older certificates and unimproved homes sit in that total.