Do I Need An EPC To Sell My Home?
Yes. In most cases.
What is an EPC?
An Energy Performance Certificate. In short, a document with an analysis to provide information on how efficient your home and its heating, and water systems are.
The report ranked the property’s energy efficiency from A – being the most efficient, to G – being the least.
The EPC assessment outlines the property’s energy use, the approximate costs, as well as recommendations on how to make your home more energy efficient – and in turn – cheaper to run.
From smaller things such as switching out light bulbs for LED ones, to the installation of solar panels and a more efficient boiler system. Assessors will do an inspection and give recommendations like these for the benefit of any interested parties.
There are some instances where an EPC isn’t required, but those instances are far and few between.
Do I NEED An EPC?
If you’re looking to sell, or rent a property in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland, yes you do need one.
Scotland is a little different, sellers will need to conduct and provide a further extensive home report, including an EPC, but with a survey and property questionnaire too.
By law, an EPC must have been conducted and a report provided before a property is put on the market for either rental or sale.
When Is An EPC Not Required?
There are some exceptions, where properties do not require an energy performance certificate.
An Energy Performance Certificate is not required for:
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- Listed buildings
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- Holiday lets, or residential buildings where it is used or lived in for less than 4 months a year
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- Industrial spaces and workshops
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- Buildings designated to be demolished
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- Buildings that are designed and intended to be used for less than 2 years from when built
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- Stand-alone buildings with less than 50 square metres of floor space
- Places of worship
Checking If A Property Already Has, Or Has Previously Had A Valid EPC
EPC Register is an online database where all EPC assessors upload information on their reports and findings. It’s an open-to-all platform, so as long as you have the full address of a property, you can see its report.
The legal requirement to have an EPC has been around since 2008, so, likely, the property you’re looking at may already have one.
Have a search online to check, and bear in mind that an EPC expires ten years after it was conducted. If expired, it’ll need a renewed one.
Hefty Penalties Linked To Non-Compliance
If you’re selling, or are a landlord, and your property doesn’t have an EPC, you will need to get it arranged as soon as possible!
Under current laws, you could face penalty fines of up to £5000. If you think you can manage to escape under the radar, this fine increases to £30,000 in 2025.
For the sake of up to £100, I would recommend you get an assessor to complete their assessment to get a valid EPC in place.
What To Expect During An EPC Assessment
A visit to the property will be made, to suit your availability for access.
- The visit will consider several factors to establish how energy efficient your home is, including:
- Footprint & size of the property
- Checks for insulation, if fitted, type of insulation used, and how much
- Type of heating system the property has
- Type of windows, whether single-, double-, or triple-glazed
- Type of lighting around the home, LED is the most efficient to-date
Ratings A-G, Will The Rating Affect Me Or My Property?
Until 2025, if you’re letting your property, it has a requirement to have a minimum EPC rating of E or above. Some properties have exemptions to this rule, however, they aren’t very common.
As mentioned, from 2025 this will increase to a minimum of a C rating for new tenancies of privately rented properties, and in 2028 for all existing tenancies.
What You (As A Homeowner) Need To Know
Although there are no rules to say you need to have a valid EPC in a home you own and live in, it would be good practice to get one done anyway.
Naturally, the lower the EPC band is, the cheaper your home is to run. And I’m sure the prospect of the cost of living is at the forefront of most people’s minds these days!
Get an EPC assessment done, and see where improvements can be made. As a personal experience, once I’d changed all the bulbs in my flat to LED, there was a noticeable difference in my electricity consumption!
Anything Else?
If you do decide to get an EPC done, and you choose to make the improvements they’ve suggested when you renew the EPC, to show these changes I’d recommend using the same assessor to keep the result consistent.
In some cases, there can be discrepancies between assessors in approach or the equipment used, use the same assessor and you’ll have a clear view of the improvements made as well as a record for your, and any other interested parties’ information.
We’re all about compliance, our property experts can help from every aspect from A-Z of you listing your property for sale. We even have assessors that charge a flat rate no matter what size your home is!
Get in touch to see how we can help you!
