EPC and energy assessor FAQs
The questions our inbox sees most, answered the way we answer them by email — directly, with the legal position as it actually stands in 2026. Something missing? Ask us.
How long does an EPC last?
Ten years from lodgement, for both domestic and commercial certificates. There is no requirement to renew early — but selling, letting or claiming certain grants requires a valid certificate on the day, so check the expiry on the national register before listing a property.
How do I check if a property already has an EPC?
Search the national register free via gov.uk's find-an-energy-certificate service for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or the Scottish EPC register for Scotland. Around half the people who contact us about a "new" EPC discover a valid certificate already exists — thirty seconds of searching before booking saves the fee.
What EPC rating do landlords legally need?
EPC E minimum for rental property in England and Wales under MEES — domestic and commercial alike. Proposals to require C for new domestic tenancies (and C by 2027 / B by 2030 for commercial) have been consulted on but are NOT law as of 2026. Anyone telling you C is already mandatory is wrong or selling something.
Do HMOs need an EPC?
It depends on what is let. An HMO let room-by-room with shared facilities does not normally trigger an EPC requirement for the individual lettings, because EPCs attach to self-contained units. Letting a whole house to a group on one tenancy does require one. The distinction is technical and enforcement varies, so HMO landlords near the boundary should take advice rather than assume.
Do holiday lets need an EPC?
Generally yes where the property is rented out for short periods on a commercial basis — government guidance expects an EPC for furnished holiday lets occupied for the standard short-let thresholds. Rules differ in Scotland. Given enforcement ambiguity, most professional holiday-let operators simply hold a valid certificate.
How much does an EPC cost?
Domestic: £60–£120 for most homes in 2026. Commercial: from about £250 for simple units, rising with complexity. Portfolio bookings price lower per property. The full breakdown — including why rock-bottom quotes are a red flag — is on our EPC cost page.
Can I do anything to improve the rating before the survey?
Yes — and the highest-value action is free: documentation. Insulation certificates, boiler records and glazing paperwork let the assessor replace conservative defaults with reality, routinely worth more than minor physical works. After that: loft insulation top-ups, full LED lighting and heating controls are the cheap measures that reliably score. Our preparation guide ranks the lot.
What happens if a rental property is rated F or G?
It cannot lawfully be let — new or continuing tenancy — unless a valid exemption is registered on the PRS Exemptions Register. For domestic property the cost cap for required improvements is £3,500 including VAT; spend that on the recommended measures without reaching E and you can register an "all improvements made" exemption. Penalties for non-compliant letting reach £5,000 per domestic property and far higher for commercial.
Can I dispute an EPC rating?
Yes. Start with the assessor — most disputes are missing evidence, fixable with documents and a re-run. Escalate to their accreditation scheme if needed; schemes audit certificates against the photographic evidence file, which RdSAP 10 made mandatory. Ratings built on defaults rather than measurements are the most commonly corrected.
Who can legally produce an EPC?
Only assessors accredited through a government-approved scheme — and only within their qualification: DEAs for existing homes, OCDEAs for new builds, Level 3–5 non-domestic assessors for commercial buildings. Verify anyone on the official register before the survey. A certificate that never lodges on the register does not legally exist.
Does a better EPC rating affect property value or mortgages?
Increasingly, yes. Several lenders offer green mortgage products with preferential rates for A–C rated homes, and analyses of sold-price data consistently show efficient homes commanding a premium that has grown since energy prices spiked. For landlords, the band also affects refinancing conversations. It is not the biggest driver of value — but it is no longer noise.
Is an EPC the same as a retrofit assessment or an energy audit?
No to both. A retrofit assessment (PAS 2035) is the deeper domestic survey required before grant-funded improvement work. An energy audit is a commercial exercise analysing how an organisation actually consumes energy. The EPC is the standardised compliance certificate. Each needs differently qualified people — which is exactly what our matching service sorts out.
Do listed buildings need an EPC?
Often, yes. The commonly cited exemption only applies where compliance with minimum energy performance requirements would unacceptably alter the building's character — narrower than folklore suggests, and rarely clear-cut for EPCs. Most conveyancers now advise obtaining the certificate for listed property transactions.
What is the EPC register and who can see my certificate?
The national register is the public database of every lodged certificate — anyone can look up any property's EPC free of charge. You can opt out of address-level public display in limited circumstances, but the certificate itself must still be lodged to be valid. The public nature is deliberate: buyers, tenants and lenders are meant to be able to check.