EPC requirements for UK landlords

What is an EPC?

An EPC rates your property's energy efficiency from A, the most efficient, to G, and recommends improvements.

Rented homes have needed one since 1 October 2008, under what are now the Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012. Order it before you advertise. A certificate lasts 10 years.

The minimum rating

Under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), a privately rented home in England and Wales needs a rating of at least E. You can't let a home rated F or G, or carry on letting it, unless you've registered a valid exemption.

There are six exemptions, each registered on the PRS Exemptions Register, and most last five years. They include a home still below E after improvements up to the £3,500 cost cap, and work that needs consent you can't get, such as your tenant's. Some listed buildings don't need an EPC at all.

When do you have to give tenants the EPC?

Prospective tenants must be able to see the EPC free at the earliest opportunity, and no later than the viewing or the first written details you send. Adverts in commercial media must show the rating, and the person who becomes your tenant must be given a free copy.

Penalties

Not making a valid EPC available carries a £200 penalty charge. Letting a home rated F or G without an exemption can bring council penalties of up to £2,000 for a breach under three months, or £4,000 for three months or more, capped at £5,000 per property.

How to get an EPC

Only an accredited energy assessor can produce an EPC, and GOV.UK has a service for finding one. Prices vary, so get a couple of quotes.

To look up your property's current EPC, search the register at gov.uk/find-energy-certificate.

How to prove your tenant received it

Keep evidence that your tenant got the EPC. A receipt they sign and date works, and so does a system that records when they opened it. An email only shows you sent it, and read receipts can be switched off.