Before they ask:
Do I need an EPC before listing my house?
Yes. A valid EPC is needed before a property can be marketed in England and Wales, and it must be commissioned before marketing begins. They last ten years, so the first thing to check is whether yours has expired.
- How long
- 1–2 weeks
- Typical cost
- Usually £60–£120
- Who asks
- Your estate agent, then the buyer's solicitor
The EPC is the one document that genuinely stops you in your tracks, because without a valid one your property should not be marketed at all.
The requirement
In England and Wales you need a valid Energy Performance Certificate before a property is put on the market, and it must be commissioned before marketing begins. Your estate agent will usually ask for it immediately, and a good one will not advertise without it.
Certificates are valid for ten years.
Check yours first
The Energy Performance of Buildings Register is public and free to search by address. Before you do anything else, look yours up and note the lodgement date.
- Lodged within the last ten years — you are covered, nothing to do.
- Older than ten years — you need a new one, and it is worth booking early rather than discovering it the week you want to list.
- Nothing at all — you need one.
What it costs and how long it takes
Usually somewhere between £60 and £120, depending on the assessor and the property. The visit takes well under an hour for a typical home, and the certificate is normally lodged within a few working days.
At one to two weeks, it is rarely the thing that holds up a sale — unless you leave it until the week you want photographs taken.
Read your own certificate. It records construction age band, main heating fuel, glazing, floor area and whether extensions are recorded. Several of the enquiries you will receive are prompted by exactly that data. Reading it yourself, before a surveyor does, tells you which questions are coming.
Where the EPC quietly helps you
Two specific things worth knowing:
Glazing. More recent certificates distinguish between glazing installed before 2002 and during or after 2002, which is a direct pointer to whether a FENSA certificate should exist.
Extensions. The underlying assessment records building parts separately, so extensions often appear with their own construction age. That is the same information a buyer’s surveyor will be working from.
A note on accuracy
EPCs are assessments, not surveys, and they can be wrong or out of date — particularly on older certificates where assumptions were made about construction. If yours says something you know to be incorrect, that is worth mentioning to your conveyancer rather than letting an enquiry be built on it.
Common questions
How do I find out if I already have one?
The Energy Performance of Buildings Register is searchable by postcode and address, free of charge. It will show the certificate, its rating, and the date it was lodged — which tells you immediately whether it is still within its ten years.
What if my EPC has expired?
You need a new one before marketing. An assessor visits, the survey takes under an hour for most homes, and the certificate is usually lodged within a few days. It is one of the quicker items on any seller's list.
Does a low rating stop me selling?
No. There are minimum energy efficiency standards that apply to letting property, but selling is different, and there is no minimum rating to sell a home. A poor rating may affect what a buyer offers, and it may affect what improvements they factor in, but it does not prevent a sale.
Is the EPC useful for anything else?
More than most sellers realise. It records construction age, heating type, glazing, floor area and extensions. Buyers' surveyors read it, and several enquiries you will receive are prompted by what it says — so it is worth reading your own before someone else does.
Last reviewed 13 September 2026. England and Wales.
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