Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

UK law requires all landlords to complete an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) before advertising a home. EPCs are valid for 10 years and at Mashroom we can organise yours in a click of a button.

Why having an EPC is good for the planet, your tenants and you

Apart from being a legal requirement, having an EPC encourages energy efficiency, reduces running costs for your tenants, and increases the value of your property. It’s what you might accurately describe as a win-win.

What is an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)?

An EPC is an Energy Performance Certificate which gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) and is valid for 10 years.

EPCs were first introduced by the UK government on 1st August 2007 in England and Wales.

A house’s EPC rating will depend on:

The amount of energy used per m²
The level of carbon dioxide emissions (given in tonnes per year).

EPCs came about due to the requirements of the EU directive on the energy performance of buildings. Originally, they were introduced to be a part of the Home Information Pack (HIP), (remember those?), which was to be supplied by people who were selling properties with four bedrooms or more.

However, the requirements to have an EPC when a building was being sold or rented were extended over time to all buildings, both domestic and commercial.

In May 2010, the government changed the legal requirements, but a requirement to provide an EPC has remained. It is still an important aspect of selling or renting a building today and is a legal requirement for landlords to have one.

Today, there are three types of EPC:

A Domestic Energy Certificate
A Commercial Energy Certificate
A Display Energy Certificate.

The point of these certificates is essentially to inform potential buyers or tenants about the energy performance of a building. Armed with this knowledge they can consider energy efficiency as part of their investment or business decision to buy or rent that room or building.

What is an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)?

What are the legal requirements regarding an EPC?

Well, as it has been a legal requirement for a landlord to have an EPC since 2008, first up you have to have one.

If a home has been sold or let since then, it should have one and if you haven’t had one, you must remedy this as they are only valid for 10 years.

It is the legal responsibility of the landlord or property owner to obtain an EPC before marketing a property and must have a copy of the certificate ready to show potential tenants.

What are the legal requirements regarding an EPC?

The advantages of having an EPC

Unless you fancy standing up in court, having an EPC is a very good idea. But beyond avoiding prison, it can also add value to your property, encourage your tenants to be more energy efficient, and help you qualify for renewable tariffs.

Add value

You can increase the value of your property by up to 6% by improving its EPC rating, depending on where it is in the country.

A renewable boost

The government’s Feed-In Tariff (FIT) is linked to the EPC rating of your property. So if you want to take advantage of that, your EPC rating needs to be D or above.

Reduce costs

Your tenants can stay cosy, up the property’s EPC rating and reduce their heating bills, all by improving the property’s insulation.

Be a bright spark and book your EPC today

For a hassle-free way to remain compliant, be a little bit greener and add value to your property, get booking your EPC today. At £69 for a year of cover, get in touch with us today to make sure your properties are sticking to the letter of the law, and your tenants are safe and happy.

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

Provided by Mashroom certified contractor. Valid for 10 years.

Excellent service. Respectful & attentive, we are very satisfied! Very valuable advice were given. Thanks!

Allen Panter

Who pays for an EPC?

It is the responsibility of a landlord to pay for the EPC. But remember, you can offset this cost against your tax returns. And Mashroom can organise a budget-friendly EPC for just £69.

Remember, that when you pay for the cost of an EPC as a landlord, you are paying for the services provided by a Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA).

The EPC will show the energy efficiency rating on an A–G rating scale and it will also include recommendations on how to improve energy efficiency. Make sure you check out how the law is changing on this for buy-to-let landlords under government proposals.

The government wants to ensure that all new rental properties have an EPC rating of at least a C by 2025 or 2026. This is not yet law, but looks likely to become so soon, so it’s something to bear in mind when buying properties or upgrading the ones you have.

What happens if my property fails its EPC survey?

Great news – it can’t. An EPC is a survey that ranks your property on a scale of A to G – so there is no pass or fail, just better or worse. But if it’s low, tenants may be less likely to consider renting your property, due to the associated costs, particularly as rising energy prices are an ongoing issue.

Breakdown of the ratings A-G

Why is a higher rating good?

Can my EPC fail?

An EPC rating is a review of a property’s energy efficiency and is primarily of interest to would-be buyers (you) or renters (your tenants) to quickly see how much their energy bills will cost in their new house or flat.

New-build homes tend to have high EPC ratings, while older homes often have lower ratings of around D or E. The average for a home in the UK is currently an EPC rating D, but the government hopes to raise this to a C by 2025/26 and it will be essential for landlords to achieve this rating, or they could risk being fined.

Your EPC will have two main charts with the rating bands. The bands go from A to G, with A being the best rating your home can have, and G being the worst.

An EPC lets potential tenants know how much they will spend on energy bills each month And for those interested in sustainability and reducing energy costs – a higher EPC rating will always be better.

The rating plays a vital role in helping renters make a decision about moving into your property.

There are lots of pros to getting a higher energy rating.

Tenants look for higher ratings, such as an EPC minimum rating C, to save money
You’re likely to have fewer issues if your property is super up-to-date
You won’t have to worry about EPC minimum rating changes if you’re already at the top end

An A rating indicates a highly energy efficient home that will be cheaper to run than homes with a lower rating.

There is no pass or fail rating. A property will be rated on a scale from A-G. Homes rated A are at the better end of the scale.

Currently, the law states that rented properties must have a minimum EPC rating E, but this is set to change by 2025/2026 when the rating will likely rise to an EPC rating C.

Your four-page EPC will not only indicate your rating, but the EPC assessor will suggest things that you can do to improve it. If you are carrying out any renovations between now and 2025, you should look at things you can do now to improve the rating. It can be cheaper than you think!

Looking at a new more energy efficient boiler, better wall and loft insulation, double glazing, using energy efficient light bulbs and adding thermostats to radiators are all things that you can do to improve your rating.

I’ve lost my EPC, where can I find it?

Unlike your Gas Safety Certificate, another legal check and requirement for landlords (though this one has to be carried out annually, rather than once a decade), if you don’t have access to a copy of the EPC, or you’re wondering where you can find your energy certificate, you should can find it online by logging into the Landmark Register. You can search this EPC register by address.

To avoid misplacing your documentation in the future, upload all of your legal documents to our free Document Storage Tool. It will even remind you when something is close to expiry!

How to get an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

So now you know what they are, how do you go about getting an EPC certificate? Well, it’s fairly straightforward. But to avoid any confusion, we’ve gathered some FAQs here, to further demystify the process.

How is an EPC carried out?

The assessment by a licensed Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) is carried out in person, at the property. It is a purely visual inspection and is non-invasive. Though the assessor will likely take notes and take pictures to help them compile a report.

Before you Google ‘EPC assessor near me’, don’t forget that Mashroom can arrange an EPC check by a qualified and registered EPC assessor for just £69.

What does the domestic energy assessment involve?

A licensed Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) will carry out an EPC assessment of your property to create the Energy Performance Certificate.

A domestic energy assessment will:

Establish the age and construction method of the property
Measure the floor and wall areas of the property
Look at heating systems including the boiler, heat emitters and controls
Identify existing cavity wall and loft insulation
Identify any alternative heating (e.g. solar) and energy-efficient products (e.g. energy saving light bulbs) already in use

What happens on the day of my EPC check?

Domestic EPC assessments take around 30-40 minutes, with commercial EPC assessments usually taking a minimum of 45 minutes. But obviously they can take longer depending on the size and nature of the property.

Somebody needs to be at the property to let them in. Remember that you need to give tenants at least 24 hours’ notice that you intend for the check to be carried out – and it is always in the interests of everyone to arrange such inspections at a time that suits all involved.

The EPC assessor will need to access all rooms in a property, as well as the loft, which is important as they will be checking insulation.

The assessor will also be inspecting heating systems and controls and most likely taking measurements and photographs for data to be included in their survey.

The inspection is carried out visually, so as long as they can visibly see and access all the areas they want to check, there isn’t much you need to do in the way of preparation.

Energy assessors can input this information on site or at home, to produce the EPC, which is then logged to the EPC register.

Can my EPC check be done remotely?

No, it is not possible to carry out an EPC check via video call. The assessor needs to come to your house in person as they have to physically check things to help them compile a report.

They will also need to obtain access to the loft if the property has one to check the roof and insulation – something that would be tricky to do via video call!

Is my property EPC exempt?

There are very few instances where a property is exempt from having to get an EPC. And it’s highly unlikely that any will be applicable to landlords, except potentially in the commercial sectors.

Exemptions include:

A temporary building that will be used for less than two years
A place of worship or building that is used for other religious activities
An industrial site, workshop or non-residential agricultural building that doesn’t use much energy

What happens if you don’t have an up-to-date EPC certificate?

If you don’t have an EPC certificate or do not make one available to a prospective buyer or tenant when selling or letting non-dwellings, the consequences can be fairly costly. In most cases, the penalty is fixed at 12.5% of the rateable value of the building. So fairly substantial.

When should I update my EPC?

They are valid for 10 years but there are times when you should update it earlier. For example, if you’ve renovated your property and made changes which could affect the rating, then happily the rating is likely to go up.

This will help you when marketing the property as tenants will see that they could save money on bills – something that is really important at the moment.

Should I update my EPC mid-tenancy?

Energy performance certificates are valid for 10 years from the date of issue.

But as such a long period is likely to have passed, many years in fact, it would be advisable to begin to make more environmentally mindful improvements to the property before the next assessment of the rental’s efficiency – especially with new regulations coming into force.

Landlords aren’t required to immediately renew an EPC solely because the document has expired; if it expires before the end of a tenancy period, you don’t have to immediately have another inspection. Under the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2012, a rental property is only required to have a valid EPC when it is being marketed to new tenants.

So, if an existing certificate expired during a tenancy, you’d need to organise a new one ahead of listing the property and signing an agreement with new tenants. In short, if the EPC expires during a tenancy, it remains valid until the renter moves out of the property.

What are the consequences of not having an up-to-date EPC?

Well, for a start, it’s actually illegal to let a property if it doesn’t have a valid EPC.

Therefore, if you don’t have a valid EPC, the local authority could both force you to get one and fine you up to £5,000. So don’t get caught out!

What are the consequences of not reaching the minimum rating requirement?

With new regulations coming into force in 2025, if your property doesn’t achieve a valid EPC with a rating of C or above, the penalty will be raised to a whopping £30,000.

Remember, that you must provide your tenant with a copy of the EPC at the start of the tenancy.

If you have to renew it mid-tenancy, you are obligated to give them a copy at the earliest opportunity.

Be a bright spark and book your EPC today

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

Provided by Mashroom certified contractor. Valid for 10 years.