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Energy

Commission an EPC before marketing a property to let

Before a property is advertised to let you must have a valid Energy Performance Certificate or have commissioned one, and state the energy rating in adverts.

Status
In force since 9 January 2013
Penalty
Civil penalty up to £200
Topic
Energy

Who it applies to

A building or building unit (for example a house or self-contained flat) is to be rented out and no valid EPC exists. Exemptions include some listed or protected buildings, places of worship, temporary buildings, residential buildings used for less than four months a year, and stand-alone buildings under 50 square metres. GOV.UK notes that individual rooms let on separate tenancies in shared accommodation do not need their own EPC.

What you must do

Before the property is put on the market, ensure an EPC has been commissioned from an accredited energy assessor; use all reasonable efforts to obtain it within 7 days of first marketing and in any case within a further 21 days. A letting agent must be satisfied an EPC has been commissioned before marketing. State the energy performance rating in any advertisement in commercial media. An EPC is valid for this purpose only if it was entered on the register no more than 10 years earlier and no newer EPC has been registered.

Deadline

0 days before marketing start

Commission before marketing starts; obtain within 7 days of first marketing (up to 28 days in total if not possible despite reasonable efforts). Uses a new event value, marketing_start.

Evidence to keep

  • EPC reference from the national register dated within the last 10 years
  • Copy of adverts showing the EPC rating

If you do not comply

Civil penalty
Up to £200
Other consequences
Penalty charge notice of £200 per breach for a dwelling, issued by trading standards (the local weights and measures authority).

The law

Official guidance

Notes

The £200 penalty applies per breach of regs 6(2), 6(5), 7(2)-(5) for a dwelling. The 'rooms in shared accommodation' point comes from the MHCLG HHSRS landlord guide (Sept 2026).

Other energy rules

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