EPC Ratings in South Kesteven: How Many Homes Are Below Band C Before the 2030 Rule

EPC bands in South Kesteven, July 2025 to June 2026

47% below C (bands D to G) against 46% in the East Midlands and 40% across England and Wales. South Kesteven ranks 86 of 318 local authorities for the share below C (1 = highest share). Since 2008, 68,304 EPCs have been lodged for existing homes in South Kesteven and 64% 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. 15% of recent certificates in South Kesteven 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 South Kesteven moving towards C?

The share below C in South Kesteven rose year on year, from 44% (July 2024 to June 2025) to 47% (July 2025 to June 2026) — up 3.1 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 94.8 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 South Kesteven

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 South Kesteven is £843 a month (ONS, July 2026), so the cap is roughly 11.9 months of rent — and every month a property stands empty for works costs another £843 on top of the bill. The area’s rents, prices and yields are on South Kesteven: rents, house prices and yield.

Council tax keeps running while a home is empty for works — Band D in South Kesteven is £2,260 for 2026/27, and the council adds a 100% premium once a home has stood empty for two years (council tax in South Kesteven). 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

All 318 areas ranked · council tax in South Kesteven 2026/27 · rent, prices and yield in South Kesteven.

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.