Energy performance certificate in Spain: sale rules

What the decree says is required

The decree sets the “basic procedure” for certifying the energy efficiency of buildings. Article 3.1 lists what it applies to. For a buyer, two entries matter:

• new buildings;
• “Edificios o partes de edificios existentes que se vendan o alquilen a un nuevo arrendatario”: existing buildings or parts of buildings that are sold, or let to a new tenant.

Article 17.2 turns that into a duty at the sale. When an existing building, or part of it, is the object of a sale contract, “una copia del certificado de eficiencia energética debidamente registrado y la etiqueta de eficiencia energética se anexará al contrato de compraventa”. For a lease, only a copy of the label is annexed, and the tenant receives the document of user recommendations.

So the certificate must be registered, not just drawn up. Article 6.6 requires the developer, the owner or an authorised person to file it with the competent energy-certification body of the autonomous community, for registration in its territory, so the register is regional. The decree also lets each community set the specific conditions for renewing or updating a certificate (art. 13.2).

Off-plan and newly built homes

Article 17.1 covers new buildings and renovations or extensions that are sold or let before the work is finished: the seller or landlord provides the project energy label, and the certificate for the finished work when the work is completed and the certificate is issued. For the guarantees specific to off-plan purchases, see the guide on buying off plan.

How long a certificate lasts

Article 13.1: the certificate “tendrá una validez máxima de diez años, excepto cuando la calificación energética sea G, cuya validez máxima será de cinco años”. The owner is responsible for renewing or updating it under the conditions set by the competent body of the autonomous community (art. 13.3). An owner may also update it voluntarily if the building has changed in ways that could alter the rating.

Check the date on a certificate offered by the seller. If the validity period has run out, the certificate is no longer the document the contract needs to annex.

The energy label in adverts

Article 17.3 is addressed to anyone, individual or company, who publishes or permits the publication of information on the sale or letting of a building or part of it, “ya sea en agencias inmobiliarias, vallas publicitarias, páginas web, portales inmobiliarios, catálogos, prensa o similares”. That person must include the energy rating, in the form of the recognised document.

So a listing on an agency window, a billboard or a website without the rating is out of line with the decree. As a buyer you can ask the agent for the label and the registration reference before you visit.

Buildings the procedure does not cover

Article 3.2 excludes several categories. Those most relevant to a private purchase are:

• officially protected buildings, where energy improvements would unacceptably alter their character or appearance;
• temporary buildings intended for use of two years or less;
• stand-alone buildings with a total useful floor area under 50 m²;
• buildings bought for demolition, or for the major renovations described in art. 3.1.d, which require a responsible declaration (declaración responsable) by the owner to the community’s energy-certification body.

A 2025 decree (RD 659/2025, of 22 July) amended the procedure with effect from 23 July 2026, including the second paragraph of that last exclusion; the BOE consolidated text read for this guide reflects it. If the home you are buying falls near one of these exclusions, ask the seller in writing which exclusion is claimed.

What happens if it is missing

Article 21 says breaches of the decree may be sanctioned under the twelfth additional provision of the Texto refundido de la Ley de Suelo y Rehabilitación Urbana, and that those that are consumer-protection infringements may be sanctioned under the consumer law. This guide did not read the amounts in those texts and does not state them. The competent authority is regional, so ask the consumer or housing department of the community where the property stands.

Which professional to consult

The certificate is signed by a técnico competente, a qualified technician registered with the energy-certification body of the community. An architect is one of the trades that may be involved; see the page on the architect. A lawyer registered with a Spanish bar association (colegio de abogados) can check that the certificate is attached to the contract and still valid.