The number of energy performance certificates granted in the first three months of the year fell 5% to 465,000 compared to 12 months ago, government data shows. 

The figures come against government deadlines, set two years ago, that landlords must upgrade properties for the new rental market to a minimum EPC rating of C by 2025, and 2028 for existing rental properties. 

In England, 405,000 domestic EPCs were lodged on the Energy Performance of Buildings Register, an 8% fall on a year ago, says the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. 

The number of EPCs for new dwellings amounting to 53,000, slumped by 10%, which “is in line with the recent fall in housebuilding activity,” the department says. 

It adds the number of existing domestic EPCs at 352,000, fell by 8% “in line with the recent fall in UK property transactions”. 

In the year to March, 247,000 EPCs were lodged for new-build homes, a 3% rise on the previous 12 months.   

In Wales, 20,000 EPCs were lodged in the first quarter for domestic properties, a 1% rise compared to the year before. 

Last month, a report in The Telegraph said it “understood” that ministers would set a new deadline of 2028 for all rental homes to comply with an EPC rating set at C, as landlords struggle with the cost of upgrades amid a sluggish economy.

Cutting carbon emissions are a key part of the UK’s plans to hit net zero by 2050. 

The country’s 30 million homes account for around 21% of all greenhouse emissions, according to the Energy Saving Trust.