Will your Watford rental pass EPC C by 2030?

3,633 of 7,999 privately rented homes in Watford are below EPC C, 45% of the local rental market. They must be upgraded by 1 October 2030.

How Watford compares

Below average

Watford is in better shape than most of England and Wales.

Best councils Worst councils

45% of rented homes here are below EPC C, against 53% across England and Wales. That ranks Watford 280 of 318 councils by the share needing work.

Every band in Watford

A 2

B 1,076

C 3,288

C is the line. Everything below it must be upgraded

D 3,030

E 573

F 19

G 11

Of 7,999 privately rented homes with a current certificate.

How many can actually reach C?

3,336 of the 3,633 sub-C rentals in Watford, 92% of them, already have a potential rating of C or better on their current certificate. That is the assessor's own estimate of what the property would reach if the recommended measures were installed.

Landlords are required to spend up to £10,000 per property. Above that, an exemption may apply.

The transitional rule

An EPC rated C or higher on the existing Energy Efficiency Rating, issued before 1 October 2029, counts as compliant until that certificate expires.

Source: Transitional rule. Verified 21 September 2026.

Local housing stock

All tenures in Watford, from properties with a current certificate.
Privately rented	7,999
Socially rented	3,705
Owner occupied	13,865
Median floor area	71 m²

Postcode districts in Watford

Districts that sit mostly or wholly inside Watford.

District	Post town	Rented	Below C	Share
WD18	Watford	2,659	1,219	46%
WD24	Watford	2,176	1,017	47%
WD17	Watford	1,879	819	44%
WD19	Watford	950	545	57%
WD25	Watford	1,194	485	41%