Yes. To sell a house or flat in England or Wales you need an Energy Performance Certificate, and it has to be ordered before the property goes on the market. Buyers who ask for details or book a viewing must be able to see it, free of charge. There is no minimum rating to sell, and a certificate less than ten years old can be used again.
When it has to be ordered
Before the property is put on the market — the moment the sale is first made public, whether that is a portal listing, an advert or a board outside. By then the EPC must at least have been ordered from an accredited assessor, and your estate agent has to be satisfied that it has been before they start marketing.
The certificate itself can follow shortly afterwards. The regulations expect it within 7 days of the property going on the market, and only if that proves impossible despite reasonable efforts do they allow a further 21 days. Treat 28 days as the outer limit, not the plan.
In practice it is simpler to have the certificate first. Adverts for the sale in commercial media, such as a property portal listing, are meant to state the energy rating, and there is no rating to state until the certificate exists. Mine are lodged within 72 hours as standard, and express same-evening lodgement is available if a listing is waiting on it.
What happens if you market a home without one
The rules are enforced by Trading Standards, and the penalty for a home is set in the regulations at £200. You will see “up to £5,000” on a lot of websites: that figure belongs to a different set of rules, for renting out a home rated below E, not for selling one.
The fine is rarely the real cost. Your agent is not allowed to start marketing until the EPC has been ordered, and the buyer has to be given a copy before the sale goes through. A missing EPC mostly costs time.
There is no minimum rating to sell
You can sell a home with any rating, F and G included. The legal minimum of band E applies to renting a property out, not to selling it — see the rules for landlords.
The rating still reaches buyers, because it appears on the listing. If your likely buyer is a landlord, an F or G is worth thinking about: before they could let the property, they would have to bring it up to E or register an exemption.
Can you use the EPC you already have?
Yes, if it is still valid. A certificate lasts ten years from the day it was lodged, and you can find yours by postcode on the government’s find an energy certificate service and download it for free.
A new one is worth considering if the property has changed since the last assessment — a newer boiler, loft or wall insulation, replacement windows, an extension or a loft conversion. The old certificate describes the house as it was, and it is the rating buyers will see. If you do order a new one, find the paperwork for that work first: the rating can only reflect what the assessor can see or you can evidence. How to improve your EPC rating covers what to look for.
If it expires while the house is for sale
The certificate has to be valid when it is made available to people interested in buying, and when it is given to the eventual buyer. If yours runs out while you are still advertising and taking viewings, order a new one. If it runs out after your buyer has already been given a copy that was valid at the time, check with your conveyancer before paying for another — some buyers’ solicitors ask for a certificate that is still in date when contracts are exchanged.
The buildings that do not need one
The exemptions are narrow, and an ordinary house or flat in London will not fall into any of them:
- Listed and protected buildings, but only where meeting minimum energy performance requirements would unacceptably alter their character or appearance. Being listed does not make a home exempt by itself.
- Stand-alone buildings under 50 m² of useful floor area. A flat is part of a larger building, so a small flat is not exempt because of its size.
- Homes used for less than four months of the year, such as some holiday properties.
- Temporary buildings intended to be used for two years or less.
- Places of worship, and industrial sites, workshops and non-residential agricultural buildings with low energy demand.
- Homes being sold for demolition, where the planning permissions and consents for both the demolition and the redevelopment are already in place.
Who pays for it
The seller. Estate agents often arrange the EPC and add it to their fees; you can also book an accredited assessor directly and pass the certificate to your agent. What it should cost is covered in how much an EPC costs in London.
An EPC and a floor plan in one visit
If the listing will have a floor plan, booking it with the EPC means one visit instead of two: from £99 together, rather than £134 booked separately at my starting prices. More about floor plans.
What I charge
- Domestic EPC — from £59
- EPC + floor plan — from £99, in one visit
- Floor plan only — from £75
Every job is quoted in writing before it is booked, there is no travel surcharge inside Greater London, and payment is taken after the visit. Full pricing.
Common questions
Can I put my house on the market before the EPC is ready?
Yes, as long as it has already been ordered from an accredited assessor. The certificate should then follow within 7 days, with a further 21 days allowed only if that proves impossible despite reasonable efforts.
What is the fine for selling a house without an EPC?
£200 for a home, enforced by Trading Standards. The £5,000 figure quoted on many websites is the maximum penalty for renting out a home rated below E, not for selling one.
Is there a minimum EPC rating to sell a house?
No. You can sell a home with any rating, including F or G. The band E minimum only applies to renting a property out.
How long is an EPC valid for when selling?
Ten years from the day it was lodged. If yours is still valid, you can use it for the sale.
Does a listed building need an EPC to be sold?
Being listed does not exempt it on its own. A listed home is exempt only where meeting minimum energy performance requirements would unacceptably alter its character or appearance.
Where to go next
What the A to G bands and the score mean, and the cheapest ways to improve a rating before the assessment.