Social landlords could be “set up to fail” if the government’s preferred minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) for housing are introduced, a senior director has warned.

The reformed Decent Homes Standard (DHS) is expected to include stricter energy performance requirements, potentially requiring significant upgrades to ageing housing stock. Sector leaders argue that while improving energy efficiency is essential, the proposed targets may be unrealistic without additional funding and flexibility.

The concerns echo those raised by private landlords, who have faced similar difficulties under MEES in the private rented sector. Plans to require all new tenancies to reach EPC band C by 2025 (and all existing tenancies by 2028) were ultimately abandoned amid fears that the costs — often running into tens of thousands of pounds per property — were unaffordable for smaller landlords. Many also reported limited access to reliable contractors, uncertainty over available retrofit technologies, and frustration at the withdrawal of government support schemes such as the Green Homes Grant.

Commentators say that without proper funding and clear long-term policy direction, both social and private landlords risk being caught in a regulatory trap — expected to deliver higher standards that are technically and financially difficult to achieve, yet penalised if they fall short.