Will your Sunderland rental pass EPC C by 2030?
7,296 of 13,768 privately rented homes in Sunderland are below EPC C, 53% of the local rental market. They must be upgraded by 1 October 2030.
How Sunderland compares
About average
Sunderland sits close to the England and Wales figure.
53% of rented homes here are below EPC C, against 53% across England and Wales. That ranks Sunderland 190 of 318 councils by the share needing work.
Every band in Sunderland
Of 13,768 privately rented homes with a current certificate.
How many can actually reach C?
6,712 of the 7,296 sub-C rentals in Sunderland, 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
| Privately rented | 13,768 |
|---|---|
| Socially rented | 31,288 |
| Owner occupied | 40,664 |
| Median floor area | 78 m² |
Postcode districts in Sunderland
Districts that sit mostly or wholly inside Sunderland.
| District | Post town | Rented | Below C | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SR2 | Sunderland | 2,763 | 1,599 | 58% |
| SR4 | Sunderland | 2,332 | 1,571 | 67% |
| SR5 | Sunderland | 1,763 | 906 | 51% |
| SR6 | Sunderland | 1,408 | 732 | 52% |
| DH4 | Houghton Le Spring | 1,130 | 608 | 54% |
| SR3 | Sunderland | 1,005 | 573 | 57% |
| NE9 | Gateshead | 1,008 | 479 | 48% |
| SR1 | Sunderland | 1,135 | 473 | 42% |
| DH5 | Houghton Le Spring | 801 | 431 | 54% |
| NE38 | Washington | 950 | 309 | 33% |
| NE37 | Washington | 842 | 308 | 37% |