EPC Ratings in South Norfolk: How Many Homes Are Below Band C Before the 2030 Rule
Of the 3,324 homes in South Norfolk that had an EPC lodged from July 2025 to June 2026, 49% were rated D to G — the bands a privately rented home must leave by 1 October 2030. The East of England figure is 41%; England and Wales 40%.
EPC bands in South Norfolk, July 2025 to June 2026
| Rating | Certificates | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Band A | 69 | 2.1% |
| Band B | 204 | 6.1% |
| Band C | 1,432 | 43% |
| Band D | 1,121 | 34% |
| Band E | 402 | 12% |
| Band F | 76 | 2.3% |
| Band G | 20 | 0.6% |
49% below C (bands D to G) against 41% in the East of England and 40% across England and Wales. South Norfolk ranks 63 of 318 local authorities for the share below C (1 = highest share). Since 2008, 53,326 EPCs have been lodged for existing homes in South Norfolk 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. 15% of recent certificates in South Norfolk were E, F or G — against 8.6% in the East of England. 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 Norfolk moving towards C?
Little movement year on year in South Norfolk: 51% of certificates were below C in July 2024 to June 2025 and 49% in July 2025 to June 2026 (−2.7 points; England and Wales −2.5 points). The area is 159th 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 93.2 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 South Norfolk
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 Norfolk is £981 a month (ONS, July 2026), so the cap is roughly 10.2 months of rent — and every month a property stands empty for works costs another £981 on top of the bill. The area’s rents, prices and yields are on South Norfolk: rents, house prices and yield.
Council tax keeps running while a home is empty for works — Band D in South Norfolk is £2,483 for 2026/27, and the council adds a 100% premium once a home has stood empty for two years (council tax in South Norfolk). 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 of England
| Area | Below C | Year-on-year (pts) |
|---|---|---|
| Breckland | 50% | −4.1 |
| Great Yarmouth | 50% | −1.3 |
| Broadland | 49% | −2.8 |
| Fenland | 49% | +0.3 |
| Rochford | 48% | +3.9 |
| West Suffolk | 47% | −0.7 |
All 318 areas ranked · council tax in South Norfolk 2026/27 · rent, prices and yield in South Norfolk.
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, 51% were band C or better and 49% were D to G; band D alone was 34%. (MHCLG live table EB1.)
The share below C moved from 51% (July 2024 to June 2025) to 49% (July 2025 to June 2026): −2.7 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.
49% below C against 41% in the East of England — 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.