Making MEES work: New report sets out pathways to deliver fairer, healthier, more resilient homes
The report explores how proposed changes to housing regulations, including updates to Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), can deliver housing equity, quality, affordability, and resilience.
The publication comes at a critical moment. The Renters Rights Bill, due to come into force later in 2025, alongside Awaab’s Law and proposed EPC reforms, will reshape the private rental sector. MEES has the potential to be a cornerstone of this transformation but only if policy, funding, enforcement, and tenant protections work in tandem.
Rachael Owens, Co-director at the National Retrofit Hub, said:
MEES must be more than a target on paper. We’ve seen too many well-intentioned reforms falter because the systems around them weren’t strong enough. This is a chance to get it right by creating housing policy that is enforceable, fair, and properly supported. If we miss it, we risk deepening housing inequality and undermining trust in the UK’s Net Zero transition.
The report identifies five conditions that must be met if MEES is to deliver meaningful change:
- Rental affordability and security
- Better treatment of, and support for, tenants
- Effective housing standards enforcement and high levels of compliance
- High-quality work and effective redress routes
- Stable housing supply, across tenures
It calls for MEES to be implemented as part of a wider housing and Net Zero strategy, aligning policy, funding, enforcement, and tenant protections to achieve healthier, more affordable, and climate-resilient homes.
It builds on the National Retrofit Hub’s previous work on the private rental sector, including Raising Standards in the Private Rental Sector, the MEES Consultation Response, and Delivering for Tenants. The work draws on extensive input from NRH working groups and collaborators across housing, retrofit, enforcement, finance, and tenant advocacy.
