Who Requires an EPC ?
If you own a property in England or Wales and intend to sell or let it, you are legally required to have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). This requirement has been in place since 1st October 2008.
When Selling Your Property
UK legislation requires that anyone selling a property must have commissioned or already hold a valid EPC before the property is marketed. Your estate agent is legally obliged to upload this certificate within 28 days of the property being listed for sale.
Unlike rental properties, there is currently no minimum EPC rating required to sell a property. However, an EPC is mandatory for the transaction to be completed. This applies not only to open-market sales, but also to transfers such as moving a property into a pension fund or gifting it to family members.
When Renting Your Property
If you intend to let or lease a property, you must ensure that a valid EPC is available for all prospective tenants. Since April 2018, it has been unlawful to rent a property in the UK with an EPC rating below E, unless a valid exemption has been registered.
Failure to comply with a Compliance Notice can result in fines of up to £2,000 and/or a Publication Penalty. These Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) can have a significant impact on landlords and property portfolios. For advice tailored to your circumstances, please contact our team on 0203 397 8220.
How is an EPC Inspection Carried Out?
A standard residential EPC requires a site visit—it cannot be completed remotely. The assessor must access all rooms in the property and, where possible, the loft. You will not be asked to lift carpets or floorboards; the process is designed to be quick and non-intrusive, typically taking under 30 minutes.
If there are energy-saving measures that are not visible during the visit—such as suspended floor insulation, cavity or external wall insulation, or loft insulation—you will need to provide evidence for these to be included. Without evidence, the software will apply assumptions based on the property’s age and construction.
The assessor will take photographs for data submission and measure rooms, although this does not constitute a marketing floor plan (which can be ordered separately).
To book your EPC, complete the form via our EPC Quote page or call us on 07415 414599 with your contact, property, and payment details. You will receive a confirmation email and, where applicable, a text message with your receipt and tracking link. Your local assessor will contact you the next working day to arrange a visit—usually within three days. Your EPC will then be issued and emailed to you on the following working day and can also be accessed via the Track My Order link on our website.
SAP EPC – For New Builds and Conversions
A SAP EPC is required where a property is newly built, recently converted, or has increased in the number of dwellings (for example, a house converted into two flats). This process differs from a standard EPC, as the certificate is required to complete Building Regulations sign-off.
A site visit is not needed for a SAP EPC. It is a desktop-based assessment carried out by our qualified SAP energy assessors using technical data and approved software. From this, we produce:
Predicted Energy Assessment (PEA): An unofficial EPC issued during the design stage, before the build is complete.
Full SAP EPC: Issued once construction is complete and the property is ready for Building Control sign-off. This certificate is valid for 10 years and functions like a standard EPC for all property transactions.
Please note: a standard site-visit EPC cannot be used for new builds or conversions. Attempting to do so will fail audit requirements and no certificate can be issued.