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Frequently Asked Questions

EPC stands for Energy Performance Certificate. An EPC is a document that tells you the energy efficiency rating of a property, on a scale of A – G for domestic properties. It is a legal requirement for any property being sold or rented in the United Kingdom.

Both domestic and commercial EPCs were first brought into effect in 2007 to measure the energy efficiency of residential and commercial properties; there have been various updates and additions to the legislation since they were first introduced, including MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards) Regulations in 2018.

Any property that is put on the market for sale or rent must have a current EPC.  Any Landlord must have a valid EPC for any prospective tenants. If you are planning on letting a property then, due to MEES legislation, you must have at least an E rated EPC.

Please note that properties that are not for sale or letting do not need an EPC unless the owner would like to know how energy efficient it is and how to improve the efficiency.

Prior to the introduction of MEES legislation in 2018 the only domestic properties exempt from needing an EPC for sale or rental were listed buildings, post MEES regulations this is more complicated. Listed properties for letting now must either have an EPC with an E rating or better, or be on the MEES exemption register. To be accepted onto this register evidence must be provided as to why the improvement recommendations on the EPC are not suitable for the building, and the only way to do this is by having an EPC for the property.

In reality, the only domestic properties exempt from complying with EPC legislation are listed buildings for sale, however an increasing number of mortgage companies and financial institutions are refusing to carry out sale transactions unless either there is an E rated or better EPC in place, or the building is on the MEES exemption register

EPC’s can only be obtained by a qualified Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA). You can book an EPC assessment here.

An EPC is valid for 10 years.

Without a valid EPC you could suffer repercussions from your Local Authority. The financial penalty could be up to £5,000.

Since October 2008, rental properties in England and Wales have required an EPC.  On April 1st 2018, the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) came into force. This required ALL properties being let in England and Wales to have a minimum EPC rating of ‘E’ or above.  From April 1st 2020, the MEES apply to all existing tenancies – not just new ones or renewals.  If your rental property doesn’t have a valid EPC rating of ‘E’ or above, it cannot be legally let.

No. You can obtain your EPC directly from me by booking here.  Many Estate Agents will supply / arrange one if required but it will almost certainly cost considerably more.  If you are instructing an estate agent I would strongly recommend that you tell them you are making your own arrangements for the EPC. If  necessary, I will send a copy of the EPC link directly to your chosen agent.  Why pay estate agents much higher rates for an EPC when I can provide the same fully recognised Certificate for a fraction of the price.

For a standard three bedroom property approx 30 minutes on site for me to collect all of the necessary data for the calculations, and after the site visit I will need to process the data and finalise the EPC certificate. I aim to have the documents ready the next working day after the date of the appointment.

Energy efficiency of domestic and commercial properties are not calculated in the same way; they take different variables into account and are calculated using different methodologies, therefore if you have converted a property from commercial to domestic or vice versa then there is no guarantee that the ratings will be similar.

The energy performance of a domestic building is graded on both an A – G scale (G being the lowest rating and A the highest) and a numerical scale (1-20 being the worst and 92+ being the best achievable scores). The grade that you receive is known as the Energy Efficiency Rating, and factors such as the property’s construction and heating can affect your final rating in addition to the standardised assumptions about occupancy numbers and individual energy use. As at June 2024, the average dwelling in England and Wales will achieve a D rating. To let out your domestic property legally it must achieve at least an E rating on its EPC.

Without having seen the raw data from the EPC for your property it is impossible to say for certain why your EPC rating is low, this is because there are many variables that are used in the calculation that provides the EPC score. Saying this, data about the lighting, heating, and construction of the property is predominantly what I collect when surveying; if you don’t have any lighting or heating installed in the property when it is surveyed then it’s defaulted when the data is entered, so if your property doesn’t have any lighting or heating this may be affecting your score.

Your district council will enforce and regulate all EPCs except any on their own public buildings, which the Department of Finance will regulate. Your district council and the D.O.F. have the authority to issue fines if you cannot make the required documents available within 7 days from request. The financial penalty could be up to £5,000.

It is the building owner’s responsibility in cases of sale or landlord’s responsibility in cases of rental to obtain an EPC for the property to provide to prospective buyers or tenants. When an agent has been instructed to sell/rent out a property, or an owner/landlord is selling/renting out on their own behalf, they must ensure that the EPC is included in all marketing material created and distributed for the property. Marketing material does not include the advertising boards outside of properties but can include property websites, brochures, and particulars.

By law, Energy Performance Certificates must be completed and lodged to the relevant register by an accredited assessor, examples of popular accrediting bodies are Elmhurst, Stroma, Quidos and ECMK. You can book an assessment here.

If your domestic property achieves below an E rating then you cannot legally let it out. There are currently no regulations on a minimum EPC rating for sale, although many agents and financial institutions are now refusing to carry out sale transactions on F and G rated properties.

The rules on this type of property are a little unclear. My advice would be to get an EPC in this type of situation for peace of mind. After all it is worth remembering that EPCs are currently valid for 10 years from date of issue.

EPCs are still required for HMO properties, however the type of EPC that your property requires varies. If your property is a purpose built HMO then it will most likely need a commercial EPC, if your property was a home dwelling converted into a HMO and could easily be used again as a “family home” then it will most likely require a domestic EPC, we advise checking with your local authority/council to be sure before instructing any EPCs.

I will need to pop my head into every room in the property, including the loft, if accessible. Therefore, please arrange all access requirements prior to the survey.

If you have any hidden energy saving elements in your property (for example, insulation, renewables, etc.) then you will need to provide evidence of its presence to me either prior to or on the day of the survey, this can be, for example, a headed invoice from when the insulation was installed. If you cannot provide evidence then the energy saving elements cannot be included in the calculations for your Energy Performance Rating – this is industry standard as I must provide evidence for all of the data I input to the EPC software for quality assurance auditing.

Similarly to me not knowing the rating of a property whilst still on site, I will not be able to tell you with certainty how to raise the rating of your property’s EPC without running the data, as there are too many variables in play to make an accurate estimate.

If your EPC results in a low rating the EPC software will create a generic Recommendations Report on ways to improve the energy efficiency of the property.

No. You are under no obligation to carry out the recommendations made.  However, sometimes there are some small inexpensive changes that can be made that will have an impact on the efficiency of the property.

If the whole property operates from a single heating unit then one EPC should cover the whole building.  However, circumstances can vary so I would recommend checking with the Communities and Local Government Department at www.communities.gov.uk

No. There is no requirement to display the certificate in the property.