EPC Ratings in Cumberland: How Many Homes Are Below Band C Before the 2030 Rule
Of the 7,186 homes in Cumberland that had an EPC lodged from July 2025 to June 2026, 51% were rated D to G — the bands a privately rented home must leave by 1 October 2030. The North West figure is 37%; England and Wales 40%.
EPC bands in Cumberland, July 2025 to June 2026
| Rating | Certificates | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Band A | 8 | 0.1% |
| Band B | 172 | 2.4% |
| Band C | 3,333 | 46% |
| Band D | 2,964 | 41% |
| Band E | 501 | 7.0% |
| Band F | 163 | 2.3% |
| Band G | 45 | 0.6% |
51% below C (bands D to G) against 37% in the North West and 40% across England and Wales. Cumberland ranks 45 of 318 local authorities for the share below C (1 = highest share). Since 2008, 21,716 EPCs have been lodged for existing homes in Cumberland and 55% of them were below C — recent certificates run better than the long-run stock because newer and improved homes transact more. (Cumberland was created by a council merger, so its cumulative figure only covers the new authority.)
Cumberland splits fairly evenly. 49% of recent certificates are already C or better, 41% are one band short at D, and 9.9% are E, F or G. For a landlord that means the register is worth checking property by property: the same street can hold a certificate that needs nothing and one that needs two bands of work.
Is Cumberland moving towards C?
Little movement year on year in Cumberland: 53% of certificates were below C in July 2024 to June 2025 and 51% in July 2025 to June 2026 (−2 points; England and Wales −2.5 points). The area is 176th of 318 for the size of its year-on-year change, so the picture here is stable rather than shifting.
Average floor area per certificate is 88.1 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 Cumberland
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 Cumberland is £675 a month (ONS, July 2026), so the cap is roughly 14.8 months of rent — and every month a property stands empty for works costs another £675 on top of the bill. The area’s rents, prices and yields are on Cumberland: rents, house prices and yield.
Council tax keeps running while a home is empty for works — Band D in Cumberland is £2,511 for 2026/27, and the council adds a 100% premium once a home has stood empty for one year (council tax in Cumberland). 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 North West
| Area | Below C | Year-on-year (pts) |
|---|---|---|
| Ribble Valley | 53% | −5.6 |
| Lancaster | 52% | −4.5 |
| Wyre | 51% | −3.8 |
| Pendle | 48% | −7.3 |
| Wirral | 48% | −4 |
| Fylde | 45% | −4 |
All 318 areas ranked · council tax in Cumberland 2026/27 · rent, prices and yield in Cumberland.
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, 49% were band C or better and 51% were D to G; band D alone was 41%. (MHCLG live table EB1.)
The share below C moved from 53% (July 2024 to June 2025) to 51% (July 2025 to June 2026): −2 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.
51% below C against 37% in the North West — 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 55%, higher because older certificates and unimproved homes sit in that total.