An EPC is a legal requirement in the UK when you rent out or sell your property.
What many people don’t know is that an EPC is valid for 10 years – so if your property has one, it should still be valid for any potential resale or rental.
EPC reports were only introduced in 2007, so it will be 2017 before they begin to expire on properties. Unfortunately in our experience people assume they will need a new one every time they sell their home or rent it out to new tenants thereby wasting them money which could be better spent elsewhere.
So how then do you know if there is an existing EPC on your property?
All EPC records are held on a central register (by a company called Landmark) and these are accessible by anyone provided you have the property address or postcode.
Follow this brief guide below to see if there is an existing EPC for your property.
Step 1 – go to the EPC register
Step 2 – From the options displayed, select Domestic EPC Registers.
Step 3 – In the left hand menu, click on ‘Retrieve Report Using Property Address’
Step 4 – Ideally enter the postcode and hit search report, but if you don’t have that you will need to hit the ‘I don’t have a postcode’ button and follow the further instruction.
Step 5 – The screen that loads will then show all the properties with your postcode that have a valid EPC, simply click on the relevant house number to download the EPC as a PDF.
Step 6 – If the property isn’t on the list (and you have confirmed you have put in the right postcode), then you are going to need to get a new EPC.
You might need an EPC for another purpose
Strictly speaking, although the EPC is valid for 10 years, if the property undergoes major reconstruction works in that time then it should have a new EPC. There is however no specific guidance on what constitutes major building works – so it is safe to say that most people don’t bother.
The other reason you might need a new EPC is if you want to apply for the GDHIF scheme. This is a home improvement scheme allowing home owners to claim up to £5,600 in non-means tested grants to improve the energy efficiency of their home.
If you do need a new EPC we will be happy to help – simply fill in the form on the right and we will get it sorted for you!
We have a portfolio of rental properties in Croydon which we have had since 2002. We had to get a domestic epc carried out on each of the properties in 2008 and it was said at the time these have a lifespan of 10 years. Will the Government actually do anything about this? Do we need to get new surveys carried out? Nothing really has changed in the flats over that time, although we have replaced boilers in a few of them so would I be right in assuming the EPC ratings will remain the same?