EPC for Selling Your House: Rules, Timing and Price Impact

To sell a home in England or Wales you need an EPC commissioned before it goes on the market. It usually comes up when you choose an estate agent, because the agent must be satisfied the certificate has been commissioned before marketing the home. This guide covers the rules, the timing, what the rating does and does not tell a buyer, and how to get the visit right.

Check for an existing EPC first

An EPC is normally valid for 10 years, and it belongs to the home, not the owner. A certificate lodged for a previous owner, or for a past letting, can be used for your sale if it is still in date.

Search the GOV.UK find an energy certificate service by postcode or street. If a valid certificate shows, you do not need a new one, although you may want one if the home has changed since. New insulation, a new boiler or replacement windows are only recorded by a new assessment. Our guide to finding and checking your EPC shows how to search the register.

What the law requires

The Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 set four duties for a seller:

• Before the home goes on the market: an EPC must be commissioned. A home goes on the market when the public is first told it is or may become available, in any form: a portal listing, a board, a social media post or a window card. Your agent must be satisfied the EPC has been commissioned before they market it.
• Within 7 days: if the certificate is not ready when marketing starts, you and your agent must use all reasonable efforts to get it within 7 days. If those efforts fail, there are a further 21 days.
• In every advert: any advert in commercial media must state the home's energy rating from the certificate.
• For buyers: a valid EPC must be made available free of charge to a prospective buyer at the earliest opportunity, and at the latest when they first receive written details or view the home. The person who buys it must be given the certificate.

The penalty for failing to provide an EPC on a sale is a £200 fixed fine.

Homes that do not need one

The duties do not apply to some buildings. The ones that can affect a home sale are:

• a stand-alone building with a total useful floor area under 50 square metres
• a residential building used, or intended to be used, for less than four months of the year
• a building officially protected as part of a designated environment or for its special architectural or historical merit, but only in so far as meeting minimum energy performance requirements would unacceptably alter its character or appearance
• a home to be demolished, where the seller can show it is suitable for demolition, the site is suitable for redevelopment, and the planning permissions and consents for both are in place

Listed status on its own is not an exemption. If you think one of these applies, get advice on the specific building before marketing without a certificate.

Selling privately

The duties fall on the seller, so they apply whether or not you use an estate agent. Selling privately, you commission the EPC yourself before telling anyone the home is for sale, show the rating in any advert in commercial media, and give the certificate to buyers who ask for details or view.

If the EPC runs out during the sale

The regulations treat an EPC as valid if it was entered on the register no more than 10 years before the date it is made available, and no newer one has been lodged since. They count to when you make it available to a buyer, not to exchange or completion. Check the valid-until date before you market the home. If it runs out before you start, get a new one first. If it runs out while a sale is going through, ask your solicitor or conveyancer how the rule applies to your dates.

When to book the visit

Book as soon as you choose an agent, or earlier if you already know your listing date. Standard lodgement is within 72 hours of the visit, so a visit in the week before listing is usually enough time.

If the listing is sooner, we can visit the next day and lodge your EPC that day, anywhere in London, for an additional £35. Same-day lodgement on any visit is £15 extra.

The visit takes 45 to 90 minutes, depending on the size of the home. The assessor needs every room, the loft hatch, the boiler and heating controls, and the meters. Paperwork for anything that cannot be seen, such as cavity wall insulation, a newer boiler or replacement windows, lets it be recorded properly. Our preparation checklist lists what to have ready.

Selling with tenants living there

Anyone living in the home must allow the assessor the access reasonably needed to inspect it, and cooperate with you as far as reasonably necessary. Give your tenants notice of the visit in line with their tenancy. On the day, a tenant, your agent or a set of keys is enough for us to get in.

A floor plan on the same visit

If your agent wants a floor plan for the listing, we can measure for one on the same visit as the EPC, with the room dimensions and total floor area, as JPG and PDF files for the listing. See our floor plans service. If your agent is booking for you, our estate agents page explains how we work with them.

Does the EPC rating affect the sale price?

An EPC tells buyers how energy efficient the home is under a standard method. It does not predict the sale price, a household's actual bills or the return on an improvement. Your agent knows what buyers in your area are paying, and installation quotes tell you what work would cost. Look at both before spending money only to influence a sale.

If the rating seems low for the home, our guide on why two similar homes get different ratings explains what changes the result, and when missing evidence is the cause.

A buyer who plans to let the home out will look at the rating more closely. A rented home needs an E or better unless an exemption is registered, and there are rules for landlords on top of that. There is no minimum rating for selling a home.

Improving the rating before you list

Currently D-rated

Check the exact score on the certificate and the suggested improvements listed on it. Being close to C does not prove that one low-cost measure will cross the boundary.

Currently E-rated

The suggested improvements are a starting point. No fixed budget or package can guarantee a D or C, and a higher rating does not guarantee a higher price. See our low-cost improvement guide and full improvement guide.

Currently F or G-rated

You can still sell. A buyer who plans to let will need to bring it to E or register an exemption before letting.

EPC first, or work first?

EPC first, then improve, then reassess. The first certificate gives your exact score and its suggested improvements, so you can choose work from it. A second assessment records the new rating. This costs two assessments, from £65 each, and the new rating is still not guaranteed.

Work first, then one EPC. If suitable work is already planned, one assessment after it is finished records the home as it will be sold. Keep the paperwork for the work. Do not put the home on the market without commissioning an EPC while you wait for the work.

If you are unsure of your current score, getting the EPC first is the lower-risk route.

Choosing an assessor

• Accreditation: the assessor must belong to a government-approved accreditation scheme.
• Timing: confirm when the certificate will be lodged, against your listing date.
• Coverage: confirm they cover your postcode.

We are accredited with Elmhurst and Quidos and cover all 32 London boroughs, with guide prices from £65, your exact quote confirmed before booking, and lodgement within 72 hours as standard. See our sellers page, our pricing page for costs by floor area, or request your exact quote.