EPC Ratings in West Suffolk: How Many Homes Are Below Band C Before the 2030 Rule
Of the 3,980 homes in West Suffolk that had an EPC lodged from July 2025 to June 2026, 47% 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 West Suffolk, July 2025 to June 2026
| Rating | Certificates | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Band A | 42 | 1.1% |
| Band B | 247 | 6.2% |
| Band C | 1,831 | 46% |
| Band D | 1,364 | 34% |
| Band E | 416 | 10% |
| Band F | 61 | 1.5% |
| Band G | 19 | 0.5% |
47% below C (bands D to G) against 41% in the East of England and 40% across England and Wales. West Suffolk ranks 82 of 318 local authorities for the share below C (1 = highest share). Since 2008, 80,932 EPCs have been lodged for existing homes in West Suffolk and 61% of them were below C — recent certificates run better than the long-run stock because newer and improved homes transact more. (West Suffolk was created by a council merger, so its cumulative figure only covers the new authority.)
The deeper problem here is the bottom of the scale. 12% of recent certificates in West Suffolk 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 West Suffolk moving towards C?
Little movement year on year in West Suffolk: 47% of certificates were below C in July 2024 to June 2025 and 47% in July 2025 to June 2026 (−0.7 points; England and Wales −2.5 points). The area is 227th 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 94.4 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 West Suffolk
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 West Suffolk is £1,179 a month (ONS, July 2026), so the cap is roughly 8.5 months of rent — and every month a property stands empty for works costs another £1,179 on top of the bill. The area’s rents, prices and yields are on West Suffolk: rents, house prices and yield.
Council tax keeps running while a home is empty for works — Band D in West Suffolk is £2,351 for 2026/27, and the council adds a 100% premium once a home has stood empty for one year (council tax in West Suffolk). 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) |
|---|---|---|
| South Norfolk | 49% | −2.7 |
| Fenland | 49% | +0.3 |
| Rochford | 48% | +3.9 |
| Braintree | 46% | +1.6 |
| East Suffolk | 43% | −3 |
| Uttlesford | 43% | −1.3 |
All 318 areas ranked · council tax in West Suffolk 2026/27 · rent, prices and yield in West Suffolk.
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, 53% were band C or better and 47% were D to G; band D alone was 34%. (MHCLG live table EB1.)
The share below C moved from 47% (July 2024 to June 2025) to 47% (July 2025 to June 2026): −0.7 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.
47% 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 61%, higher because older certificates and unimproved homes sit in that total.