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How can London landlords prepare for EPC cliff edge?

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You potentially won’t be able to let an office in the UK without an EPC A-B by as soon as 2030. So how can London’s office landlords prepare effectively for this energy efficiency deadline? Currently, 70% of commercial property floor space is rated EPC C or below across England & Wales. So getting ahead of potential future regulation could mean a first-mover advantage, particularly where there is a demand and supply imbalance.

To unpick this complex topic, Anna is joined by Flora Harley, Knight Frank’s head of ESG research, and Harriet Hicks, ESG consultant at the property agency, who explain some of the risks and strategies commercial property landlords and investors must consider. They discuss Knight Frank’s new report on building obsolescence, which looks at more than 3,000 commercial properties that have undergone retrofitting leading to an improved EPC rating of at least B, and the measures landlords took to get there.

They also delve into new research on building obsolescence, highlighting key areas such as regulatory, functional, physical, and financial risks. Practical measures like LED lighting and digital twin modelling for building improvements are discussed, along with market trends, tenant collaboration, and potential future innovations in the sector.

 

Knight Frank’s report: Meeting the Commercial Property Retrofit Challenge - Part 1: Defining a Strategy is available here: https://www.knightfrank.com/research/report-library/meeting-the-commercial-property-retrofit-challenge-part-1-11509.aspx

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