EPC Ratings in Forest of Dean: How Many Homes Are Below Band C Before the 2030 Rule
Of the 1,912 homes in Forest of Dean that had an EPC lodged from July 2025 to June 2026, 48% were rated D to G — the bands a privately rented home must leave by 1 October 2030. The South West figure is 44%; England and Wales 40%.
EPC bands in Forest of Dean, July 2025 to June 2026
| Rating | Certificates | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Band A | 22 | 1.2% |
| Band B | 163 | 8.5% |
| Band C | 812 | 42% |
| Band D | 587 | 31% |
| Band E | 237 | 12% |
| Band F | 69 | 3.6% |
| Band G | 22 | 1.2% |
48% below C (bands D to G) against 44% in the South West and 40% across England and Wales. Forest of Dean ranks 73 of 318 local authorities for the share below C (1 = highest share). Since 2008, 33,570 EPCs have been lodged for existing homes in Forest of Dean and 71% 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. 17% of recent certificates in Forest of Dean were E, F or G — against 12% in the South West. 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 Forest of Dean moving towards C?
The direction of travel in Forest of Dean is good. Between July 2024 to June 2025 and July 2025 to June 2026 the share of certificates below C fell from 53% to 48% — a drop of 5.3 percentage points, the 81st largest fall among the 318 areas with a year-on-year figure (England and Wales overall: −2.5 points).
Average floor area per certificate is 94.3 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 Forest of Dean
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 Forest of Dean is £826 a month (ONS, July 2026), so the cap is roughly 12.1 months of rent — and every month a property stands empty for works costs another £826 on top of the bill. The area’s rents, prices and yields are on Forest of Dean: rents, house prices and yield.
Council tax keeps running while a home is empty for works — Band D in Forest of Dean is £2,443 for 2026/27, and the council adds a 100% premium once a home has stood empty for two years (council tax in Forest of Dean). 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 South West
| Area | Below C | Year-on-year (pts) |
|---|---|---|
| Torridge | 51% | −8 |
| Dorset | 49% | −2.1 |
| Teignbridge | 49% | −1.1 |
| East Devon | 47% | −4.5 |
| Torbay | 46% | −1.6 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 45% | −1 |
All 318 areas ranked · council tax in Forest of Dean 2026/27 · rent, prices and yield in Forest of Dean.
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, 52% were band C or better and 48% were D to G; band D alone was 31%. (MHCLG live table EB1.)
The share below C moved from 53% (July 2024 to June 2025) to 48% (July 2025 to June 2026): −5.3 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.
48% below C against 44% in the South 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 71%, higher because older certificates and unimproved homes sit in that total.