According to research from Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB), which collated responses from around 501 respondents, only 35 per cent knew it was legislation that would become law and 18 per cent were not aware of changes at all.
The majority, 86 per cent, of landlords knew the EPC rating of their portfolio.
The company said that landlords could be blocked from renting property and may face hefty fines unless properties are upgraded to an EPC C rating when the legislation comes into force.
Of those that were aware of changes, around a third said they had heard about potential changes straight from the government, whilst a further third had heard about it through the media and 30 per cent had heard from friends.
Around a quarter were made aware of changes via their tenants.
The primary concerns of landlords were finding a trusted tradesperson at 27 per cent per cent, followed by costs of necessary upgrades also at 27 per cent.
A further 23 per cent said they were worried about disruption to tenants and the time it might take.
Ben Thompson, deputy CEO of Mortgage Advice Bureau, said: “Landlords were facing a race against time to retrofit their properties and meet incoming EPC legislation.
“As well as cost of living pressures and higher interest rates working against landlords meeting the initial 2025 deadline, they were also clearly in the dark about the changes that they needed to make.
He added: “While delaying the cut-off date before the law comes into place is clearly a sensible move, unless there is clear help unveiled to support with the cost of retrofitting, they could find themselves up against the deadline again in a few years’ time.
“An extension would also, sadly, mean that tenants will continue to struggle with higher energy bills, so it’s vital that the deadlines are not seen to be easily moved. Sooner or later, the inconvenient truth is that the retrofitting of properties that are sub-C (whether rented or owner-occupied) will most definitely need to be done.”
