Energy Performance Certificates, by nation

In short

In England, you need an energy performance certificate before you market a property to sell or rent, and it is valid for 10 years. A landlord generally cannot let a home rated below E without a registered exemption. In Scotland, the EPC is the energy report inside the Home Report, must be provided to the purchaser free of charge, and its rating must appear in the property advertisement. Even where no Home Report is needed, the seller must provide an EPC. In Wales, rented properties must normally have an EPC rating of E or above, with a civil penalty up to £5,000 unless an exemption applies, according to Rent Smart Wales. An EPC lasts 10 years. In Northern Ireland, nidirect says an EPC is needed whenever a property is built or marketed for sale or rent, and each EPC is valid for 10 years. District councils enforce it, and the page does not mention a minimum rating for rented homes. Needed to sell: 4 of 4 nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).

The table

“—” means the guide does not state it. Download the data: epc-rules.json (CC BY 4.0, cite Payotte with a link).

• Scotland: 10-year validity is stated generally in the guide, not in the Scotland section; letting minimum not stated (guide says check gov.scot).
• Wales: Sale requirement shown as 'Yes (check the Welsh Government)' in the guide; no Welsh sale page was read.
• Northern Ireland: Letting minimum not stated on the nidirect page read.