Will your Dorset rental pass EPC C by 2030?

10,019 of 16,551 privately rented homes in Dorset are below EPC C, 61% of the local rental market. They must be upgraded by 1 October 2030.

How Dorset compares

Above average

A bigger share of Dorset's rented homes fall short than in most of England and Wales.

Best councils Worst councils

61% of rented homes here are below EPC C, against 53% across England and Wales. That ranks Dorset 83 of 318 councils by the share needing work.

Every band in Dorset

A 18

B 429

C 6,085

C is the line. Everything below it must be upgraded

D 5,853

E 3,627

F 395

G 144

Of 16,551 privately rented homes with a current certificate.

How many can actually reach C?

9,154 of the 10,019 sub-C rentals in Dorset, 91% 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 Dorset, from properties with a current certificate.
Privately rented	16,551
Socially rented	12,785
Owner occupied	72,290
Median floor area	86 m²

Postcode districts in Dorset

Districts that sit mostly or wholly inside Dorset.

District	Post town	Rented	Below C	Share
DT4	Weymouth	2,745	1,430	52%
BH21	Wimborne	1,439	978	68%
DT11	Blandford Forum	1,490	970	65%
DT2	Dorchester	1,158	966	83%
DT9	Sherborne	1,062	810	76%
DT6	Bridport	1,171	753	64%
BH20	Wareham	929	658	71%
SP5	Salisbury	780	633	81%
BH24	Ringwood	855	561	66%
DT5	Portland	917	482	53%
DT3	Weymouth	915	476	52%
SP6	Fordingbridge	531	408	77%
DT1	Dorchester	1,010	371	37%
SP7	Shaftesbury	513	329	64%
BH22	Ferndown	641	310	48%
SP8	Gillingham	607	292	48%
BH19	Swanage	459	286	62%
DT10	Sturminster Newton	397	262	66%
BH16	Poole	527	226	43%
DT8	Beaminster	259	198	76%