Buildings · certification
LEED certification in the UK
LEED is the US Green Building Council’s building rating, awarded by points: Certified from 40, Silver from 50, Gold from 60 and Platinum from 80.
No UK law requires it, and in the UK it is the alternative to BREEAM rather than the default.
From 1 July 2027, LEED v5 is the only version open to new commercial registrations.
The levels
What are the LEED certification levels?
Four levels by points, reviewed by GBCI.
Status in the UK
Is LEED required anywhere in the UK?
No. One order asks the Secretary of State to “have regard to” it, which is not a duty to certify.
A full-text search of legislation.gov.uk finds LEED only in this order and the revoked earlier version of it (legislation.gov.uk).
BREEAM, not LEED, is the scheme UK site orders and local plans name; see BREEAM certification.
- 1
Which order?
The Bedford entertainment-resort Special Development Order, SI 2025/1322, made 15 December 2025.
- 2
Which buildings?
Conference centres, hotels, offices, restaurants, shops, server centres, sports and warehouse buildings.
- 3
What must happen?
An endorsed scheme of performance targets set against an internationally recognised standard.
- 4
Where is LEED?
The approvers “must have regard, in particular, to” LEED v5 or a comparable, more demanding system.
Your project
What do your points earn?
Enter the points you expect and when you plan to register.
The check uses USGBC’s published point ranges and its v5 registration date.
The level a project earns does not change its GRESB score (GRESB).
LEED · what do your points earn?
Enter the points your project expects.
Levels: USGBC, About LEED. Dates: USGBC Help Center, LEED v5 (last updated 28 May 2026).
Platinum under v5 also has extra prerequisites. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
LEED or BREEAM
Should a UK project choose LEED or BREEAM?
Whichever the requirement names; where nothing names one, it is the client’s choice.
A site order or local plan that names BREEAM decides the matter for that project.
The measured-energy alternative for offices is NABERS UK.
LEED and BREEAM
BREEAM
Order of work
Where should a project start with LEED?
Check what the requirement names, pick the version by registration date, then plan for the level.
The embodied-carbon side of either scheme is explained on embodied carbon.
- 1
Read what names a scheme
Order, plan, client or funder.
- 2
Fix the version
v5 for new commercial registrations from 1 July 2027.
- 3
Plan the points
With v5’s Platinum prerequisites if aiming high.
- 4
Register and submit to GBCI
GBCI reviews and awards the level.
LEED is a choice in the UK, so the first question is what the requirement names and the second is how many points the design can reach.
- 40 · 50 · 60 · 80
Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum start at these points
Platinum under v5 has extra prerequisites. - 1 July 2027
v5 becomes the only version for new commercial registrations
BD+C, ID+C and O+M, with limited exceptions. - No UK duty
One UK order says “have regard to” LEED v5
That is not a duty to certify. - GRESB
LEED-certified floor area scores in GRESB, whatever the level
The benchmark recognises BREEAM too.
Frequently asked
What else do people ask about LEED?
What is LEED certification?
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the US Green Building Council’s rating system.
GBCI reviews a project and awards points, and the total sets the level: Certified at 40 to 49, Silver at 50 to 59, Gold at 60 to 79 and Platinum at 80 or more.
Is LEED required in the UK?
No UK law requires it.
The one instrument found that names LEED, the Bedford entertainment-resort order of 2025, says the Secretary of State must have regard to LEED v5 or a comparable, more demanding system when approving building targets. That is not a duty to certify.
What is LEED v5?
The latest version, launched on 28 April 2025 for new construction, interiors and existing commercial buildings.
From 1 July 2027 it will be the only version open to new registrations for the commercial BD+C, ID+C and O+M rating systems, with limited exceptions.
What is the difference between LEED and BREEAM?
LEED is American and rates by points; BREEAM is BRE’s and rates by percentage score.
In the UK, BREEAM is the scheme named in site orders and local plans.
GRESB recognises both, and the level of either does not change a GRESB score.
Does LEED count for company reporting?
Not under any UK duty.
GRESB, the voluntary real-asset benchmark, counts LEED-certified floor area for points.
Sources
Where does each figure come from?
Every figure, date and status on this page traces to the instrument’s owner.
Secondary commentary is never the source for a number.
- US Green Building CouncilAbout LEED: certification levels
Certified 40–49, Silver 50–59, Gold 60–79, Platinum 80+.
- US Green Building CouncilUSGBC launches LEED v5 (28 April 2025)
Decarbonisation accounts for half of all v5 points.
- US Green Building CouncilHelp Center: LEED v5
v5 the only version for new commercial BD+C, ID+C and O+M registrations from 1 July 2027.
- US Green Building CouncilLEED rating system
Projects reviewed by GBCI and awarded points for a level.
- US Green Building CouncilLEED BD+C v4.1 to v5: summary of changes
Extra prerequisites for Platinum, including embodied carbon reductions.
- legislation.gov.ukEntertainment Resort Complex, Bedford, Special Development (No. 2) Order 2025 (SI 2025/1322), Sch 3 ¶54
“Must have regard, in particular, to” LEED v5 or a comparable, more demanding system.
- GRESB2026 Real Estate Assessment: scheme lists
LEED BD+C recognised for 2026 and 2027.
- GRESB2026 Real Estate Assessment: BC1.1
The certification level does not change the score.
- BREHow does BREEAM work?
BREEAM ratings, licensed assessors and BRE Global certification.
- BRE GlobalBREEAM UK New Construction V7 (pre-release), Table 2.2
BREEAM rates by percentage score.
- NABERSNABERS UK
Measured office energy, administered by CIBSE.
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