The cost of improving a property from the worst rating of G to a C could be about £27,000, estimates suggest, while bringing a D property up to a C would likely be £10,000. 

However, the financial benefits for tenants are substantial, with an average renter expected to save £499 per year on their energy bills if their home is upgraded from a D to a C. 

Hamptons’ analysis suggests that landlords are on track to miss the 2030 target. 

Sir Keir Starmer has reintroduced the EPC rules after former prime minister Rishi Sunak scrapped plans last year requiring landlords to upgrade their homes to a C rating by 2025.

Aneisha Beveridge, of Hamptons, said: “Successive changes to proposed energy efficiency rules have shifted the goalposts for landlords, some of whom face costs which can run into tens of thousands of pounds. 

“Despite this, many investors have continued to improve the energy efficiency of their rental homes and we’re currently on track to see 100pc of rental homes where an EPC ‘A-C’ is viable, reach that rating within a generation.

“To meet the Government’s 2030 target, the same number of homes will need to see energy upgrades over the next five years as we’ve seen improvements made in the last 30 years.  

“While a requirement for all rental homes to achieve an EPC ‘A-C’ rating by 2030 is achievable at a stretch, landlords need adequate time and resources to meet it. It is essential that landlords receive complete clarity on this target this year.”