Energy Performance Certificates (EPC)
What is an energy performance certificate (EPC)?
Under Article 7 of the European Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings, a building which is sold, rented out or constructed must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). This must be issued by a qualified and accredited assessor in an independent manner. Once produced an EPC is valid for ten years.
The EPC will rank the energy efficiency of a property from A (very efficient) to G (not very efficient). The certificate is accompanied by recommendations on how to improve energy efficiency.
If the property has an E rating or higher, you can choose whether to have these improvements carried out or not. However, if the property has an F or G rating then you will need to carry out the requirements to bring it up to an E rating, or spend £3500 on suitable improvements to qualify for an exemption from the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards.
The rest of this page is available once you have registered for an account on the NRLA site. It contains answers to questions relating to EPC service, the requirements landlords have to follow around energy performance certificates, any potential fines for not providing an EPC, and which tenancies are exempt from the requirement to have an EPC.